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The Baby-Sitters Club #27
Jessi and the Superbrat
Stoneybrook has gone star-crazy! Derek Masters, an eight-year-old regular on a hit TV sitcom, has moved to town. Everyone's wondering what a real-live TV star will be like-will he drive to school in a limo?
Jessi can't believe it, but even stars need baby-sitters,and she's the lucky club member to watch Derek Masters. Even though a lot of kids at school call Derek a spoiled brat, Jessi likes him immediately.He rides bikes and eats junk food like a normal kid, but he has exciting stories about Hollywood, too!
Pretty soon baby-sitting and ballet are starting to look kind of boring next to TV scripts and cameras. Maybe Jessi would like to be a star, too!
Jessi can't believe it, but even stars need baby-sitters,and she's the lucky club member to watch Derek Masters. Even though a lot of kids at school call Derek a spoiled brat, Jessi likes him immediately.He rides bikes and eats junk food like a normal kid, but he has exciting stories about Hollywood, too!
Pretty soon baby-sitting and ballet are starting to look kind of boring next to TV scripts and cameras. Maybe Jessi would like to be a star, too!
135 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
89 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,112 books3,055 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 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 24, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
in this ghost-written (by Jan Carr) book jessi (and other club members, to a lesser extent) starts baby-sitting derek masters, a tv star who is back in his hometown stonybrook while his show is not taping. the kids at his school are horrible jerks to him, because they think he is going to be a superbrat, but then they're the superbrats. but then he's the superbrat. or something. meanwhile, jessi auditions for a professional production of swan lake and doesn't think she's gonna get a part so she convinces herself she would rather be a model or commercial actress, because THOSE ARE NOT STRESSFUL HOBBIES. seriously. but then she gets the part and doesn't want to be a model anymore. I feel dumb even writing that.
highlights:
-mme noelle's accent, which I usually find annoying, is pretty funny here. she says "that" as "thot" -- as in, that ho over there
-jessi's description of waldo, the character derek plays on his tv show: 'he's got weird, spiky hair and he wears this pair of thick black glasses and he's an incredible science whiz. you know, one of those kids who lives and breathes science, but put him in the real world and he can barely tie his shoes. when he talks to the other kids, he always uses big, science-y words like "zygotes" and "ecosystem" and of course the other kids don't have a clue what he's talking about.'
-derek calls the pike triplets anvil head, cactus brain, and pizza breath. all my future band names.
-interesting note: this is the first book in which a school year should have passed. this came out in september of 1989, so the bsc members should be in 9th and 7th grades now. of course, they are not and never will be, because that's how this series operates.
lowlights:
-derek "let" todd win every other candyland game. huh? candyland is completely random and predetermined by the shuffling of the cards. there is no strategy, and no one can let anyone else win.
-the bsc host a going away party for derek, but what about todd, his little brother? don't you think he would be disappointed that it's not a shared party and that they didn't invite todd's friends?
-to explain the superbrat plotline a little more: there's a kid at derek's school who is such a jerk to derek that he keeps doing these awful things (stealing his math homework, tying his shoelaces together, etc.). but then it turns out that derek was actually doing all of those things to the kids in his school who were mean to him. it's such a stupid copout. that said, I do like jan's bait-and-switch here. when the title involves the word superbrat and the plot is about a tv star, we assume derek is the titular superbrat. but then jessi coins the term superbrat to refer to a jerk in derek's grade, not derek. but then it turns out derek was the superbrat all along. WHEW.
claudia outfit:
-"At that meeting she was wearing a bright pink T-shirt, a short red flouncy skirt, and underneath the skirt she had on black footless tights that she had rolled up to mid-calf."
snacks in claudia's room:
-m&ms under her bed
in this ghost-written (by Jan Carr) book jessi (and other club members, to a lesser extent) starts baby-sitting derek masters, a tv star who is back in his hometown stonybrook while his show is not taping. the kids at his school are horrible jerks to him, because they think he is going to be a superbrat, but then they're the superbrats. but then he's the superbrat. or something. meanwhile, jessi auditions for a professional production of swan lake and doesn't think she's gonna get a part so she convinces herself she would rather be a model or commercial actress, because THOSE ARE NOT STRESSFUL HOBBIES. seriously. but then she gets the part and doesn't want to be a model anymore. I feel dumb even writing that.
highlights:
-mme noelle's accent, which I usually find annoying, is pretty funny here. she says "that" as "thot" -- as in, that ho over there
-jessi's description of waldo, the character derek plays on his tv show: 'he's got weird, spiky hair and he wears this pair of thick black glasses and he's an incredible science whiz. you know, one of those kids who lives and breathes science, but put him in the real world and he can barely tie his shoes. when he talks to the other kids, he always uses big, science-y words like "zygotes" and "ecosystem" and of course the other kids don't have a clue what he's talking about.'
-derek calls the pike triplets anvil head, cactus brain, and pizza breath. all my future band names.
-interesting note: this is the first book in which a school year should have passed. this came out in september of 1989, so the bsc members should be in 9th and 7th grades now. of course, they are not and never will be, because that's how this series operates.
lowlights:
-derek "let" todd win every other candyland game. huh? candyland is completely random and predetermined by the shuffling of the cards. there is no strategy, and no one can let anyone else win.
-the bsc host a going away party for derek, but what about todd, his little brother? don't you think he would be disappointed that it's not a shared party and that they didn't invite todd's friends?
-to explain the superbrat plotline a little more: there's a kid at derek's school who is such a jerk to derek that he keeps doing these awful things (stealing his math homework, tying his shoelaces together, etc.). but then it turns out that derek was actually doing all of those things to the kids in his school who were mean to him. it's such a stupid copout. that said, I do like jan's bait-and-switch here. when the title involves the word superbrat and the plot is about a tv star, we assume derek is the titular superbrat. but then jessi coins the term superbrat to refer to a jerk in derek's grade, not derek. but then it turns out derek was the superbrat all along. WHEW.
claudia outfit:
-"At that meeting she was wearing a bright pink T-shirt, a short red flouncy skirt, and underneath the skirt she had on black footless tights that she had rolled up to mid-calf."
snacks in claudia's room:
-m&ms under her bed
July 7, 2020
While I actually started reading around age 3 (thank you, my Granny's Dick and Jane books!), this series is what I remember most about loving to read during my childhood. My sister and I drank these books up like they were oxygen. I truly think we owned just about every single one from every one of the series. We even got the privilege of meeting Ann M. Martin at a book signing, but of course little starstruck me froze and could not speak a word to my biggest hero at that time. Once in awhile if I come across these at a yard sale, I will pick them up for a couple hour trip down memory lane, and I declare nearly nothing centers and relaxes me more!
July 7, 2020
While I actually started reading around age 3 (thank you, my Granny's Dick and Jane books!), this series is what I remember most about loving to read during my childhood. My sister and I drank these books up like they were oxygen. I truly think we owned just about every single one from every one of the series. We even got the privilege of meeting Ann M. Martin at a book signing, but of course little starstruck me froze and could not speak a word to my biggest hero at that time. Once in awhile if I come across these at a yard sale, I will pick them up for a couple hour trip down memory lane, and I declare nearly nothing centers and relaxes me more!
January 6, 2024
This was a very cute book. Jessi got into Swan Lake after all, and Derek got another role in a show. And they helped each other achieve it. Again, very cute ♥️ 📺 🩰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 8, 2024Jessi and the Superb rat
Becca calls everyone into the family room, Her favorite show PS 162 is on and she’s crushing on one of the lead stars (Lamount). Jessi is more interested in the character Waldo-the geeky kid that most of the ones in Becca’s class like the most. Come to find out Becca says Charlotte says he used to live in Stoneybrooke and Mallory confirms this and says his name is Derek Masters and he’s in Nicky’s class. He lives there part time (in Stoneybrooke) and the other half he lives in LA.
Jessi goes to the club meeting wanting to find out more about Derek, but she ends up taking a sitting job for hhhhhhhim and his little brother (Todd). Jessi has a rough ballet class. Madama Noelle is on her (critizing) her through the whole class. There’s a moment tho when a waltz is played and she looks in the mirror at a leap she’s made and she’s proud of herself. Madama Noelle announces there’s going to be auditions at the Stoneybrooke Civic Center for a production of Swan Lake. After class, she encourages Jessi to try out. In the car, Mrs. Ramsey tells her it’s up to her when Jessi says she doesn’t know if she’s ready to compete with dancers possibly coming from NY. But then she starts to fantasize about being one of the maidens and her mind is made up. She’s gonna go for it.
Basiclaly, Derek is a normal kid. Jesi keeps confusing him with his charafter. Everytime she asks him something about LA, he turns the subject back to Stoneybrooke Elementary and jessi realizes he’s a normal kid that’s worried about fitting back in with his old classmates (and hoping they won’t treat him different and start acting weird). She tells him about her upcoming audition after she sees the head shots in his room and he says he’ll coach her, but his mom comes back. Jessi leaves and then realizes she didn’t ask him anything for Becca about Lamount (who has a thousand questions for her before she left for the job but claimed she didn’t have a crush. She was just curious).
The next time Jessi sits for Derek, Becca begs her to come and seeing that the last time Derek had so many questions about the elementary school (and Becca is his age) Jessi thinks maybe he could use a friend. But it turns out to be a bad judgment call (and Jessi should have realized this). Becca just follows him around asking him questions about LA and Lamont. So Jessi decides to take him over to the Pikes. Only Mallory starts to treat him like royalty and he and the triplets get into it because he beats them at baatmitton and they ask him did he learn it at his school on set. So, he tells Jessi he wants to leave. Now he’s in a bad mood and says it’ll be worse at school.
Jessi has another job at tge /nasters abd ut hyst si gaooebs ti ve ib tge furst dat Derek returns to school. He vents to her about how bad the day whent. The girl’s mobbed him as soon as he walked into the door, there was a photographer who kept asking him questions and asked for an autogragh, the teacher made him stand up and talk about his career, a girl asked him did he wear makeup on set and because he said yes the boys teased him and they also got mad because the other girls were paying him all the attention. Then there was this kid named John who took his lunch and tied his shoes together. They give him the nickname “SuperBrrat”. Derek asks Jessi what he can do and then says maybe he ought to prank them right back. (since not even speaking up for himself seemed to do nothing). Jessi though says this might not be a good idea. Kristy sits for Karen and they end up watch Derek’s show. Kristy makes the mistake of telling Karen “Waldo” is a kid from there and he just moved back. Karen is starstruck and wants to know how he got on television. Kristy explains it and then Karen wants to meet Derek so she can talk to him about getting her on tv, but Kristy firmly says no. So, Karen calls over Hannie and Amanda and they put on a play (they wrote themselves) called “Getting to Be Stars”. Which is about Karen going to Hollywood and getting rejected until she finally gets her shot.
Despite some nasty dancers at the audition, it goes well and Jessi makes the first call back. But when she calls Mal to give her the good news, she fings out Derek got into a food fight tjat je started/ Claudia sits for the Master’s and they go to the playground. He tells her about how John pushed him off the monkey bars and then took his homework and dumped all the things in his book bag on the ground. John let him play ball with him once but then Derek discovered there was ABC gum all over the ball. Some boys come to the playground from Derek’s class an Claudia invites them to come back to the Master’s house. She figures if they see he’s just a normal kid they’ll leave him alone. It works. They’re amazed he doesn’t live in a Sidney castle. After they leave, Claudia asks if the leader was john. Derek just looks confused and says no he an John isn’t friends with them. Claudia is proud of herself.
On her second audition -since she’s supposed to be sitting- the Masters take Jessi to the audition and bring her back to their house. Jessi makes the second cut. Mrs. Masters and Derek hear the cut-throat girls again talking but smartly Derek takes down notes on all the things they notice that was off about Jessi’s performance. When at his house, Todd tells her Derek got another job for a tv movie and they’ll be moving back to LA. His friends stop by and he tells her not to tell them. He’ll tell them in time but not now. (But he’ll be leaving in 2 weeks). Derek suddenly realizes he won’t be able to see Swn Lake and tells Jessi she should come to LA. She might be able to get some modeling jobs and commercial work. Jessi decides to think this over seriously. (I feel like I’ve read this plot before one of th e Super Specials).
Jessi presents an idea to the club at the next meeting to throw Derek a surprise, goodbye, party and they all agree. Mallory says it can’t be on a certain day because that’s the day of Jessi’s last audition and all the club congratulate her. They decide to have it Saturday morning and make it a breakfast party. They can have doughnuts, cereal, juice, and fruit slices. They’ll invite all of Derek’s classmates. (Even john). Jessi gets right to work on her next “project” when she gets home she takes down some numbers and tells her parents Derek mentioned her getting into modeling and commericals. While she doesn’t want to go to LA maybe she can do what Derek did and get some work there in Stamford. Her parents ask her why she wants to do this with her schedule already so demanding but she brushes off making the final cut. They tell her if she’d like to look into it she can.
Derek’s mother is very excited about the party idea. While Jessi sits with Derek, he fills her head with ideas of potential typs of modeling jobs and a possible television series. The party is thrown. The BSC have relay races and wear bathrobes. Then Jessi goes to her second audition. Disappointedly, she’s told she has to wait to Wednesday to find out if she got in. In the mentime, she keeps busy making calls to agencies. But she finds out she *did* get it and realizes that’s really what she wanted all along. She also finds out there’s no “Suprebrat”, Derek says it was him all along and what he was telling her was the things *he* was doing to the other kids that kept making fun of him. Before he leaves he gives her a head hot of his and signs it “Friends Forver.
My Thoughts
I think I caught on half-way through the book that there wasn’t a superbrat and that Derek himself was the one which was suprising because Derek really *was* a decent, normal, kid. But I do know that if the nicest people can be pushed too far. DO I? As for Jessi, I feel like I’m always reading the same plot with her in these books. I feel like I read the plot about Derek wanting her to come out to LA and try modling and commercials and she was interested in it for a hot minute. And that’s because I read it in the Super Special where they all go out to visit Dawn’s dad and Jessi gets to spend time on the set of PS 162. Because Jessi is the black girl required in series like this and they made her “the dancer” I feel like after that she -the author- didn’t really know what do do with her-. Other than make her other interest baby sitting. So her plots are usually about an audition and thus repetitive. I did think tho it was smart to have Derek take the gossip against her and use it in her favor. Then the weird thing that I’m starting to notice is that all Jessi’s “special” charges are boys (Matt, Derek). At first I thought they were gonna make her crush on “Waldo” and I’m glad it kind of eased up on her fan girling out on him because he’s eight and she’s eleven.
Rating: 5
Becca calls everyone into the family room, Her favorite show PS 162 is on and she’s crushing on one of the lead stars (Lamount). Jessi is more interested in the character Waldo-the geeky kid that most of the ones in Becca’s class like the most. Come to find out Becca says Charlotte says he used to live in Stoneybrooke and Mallory confirms this and says his name is Derek Masters and he’s in Nicky’s class. He lives there part time (in Stoneybrooke) and the other half he lives in LA.
Jessi goes to the club meeting wanting to find out more about Derek, but she ends up taking a sitting job for hhhhhhhim and his little brother (Todd). Jessi has a rough ballet class. Madama Noelle is on her (critizing) her through the whole class. There’s a moment tho when a waltz is played and she looks in the mirror at a leap she’s made and she’s proud of herself. Madama Noelle announces there’s going to be auditions at the Stoneybrooke Civic Center for a production of Swan Lake. After class, she encourages Jessi to try out. In the car, Mrs. Ramsey tells her it’s up to her when Jessi says she doesn’t know if she’s ready to compete with dancers possibly coming from NY. But then she starts to fantasize about being one of the maidens and her mind is made up. She’s gonna go for it.
Basiclaly, Derek is a normal kid. Jesi keeps confusing him with his charafter. Everytime she asks him something about LA, he turns the subject back to Stoneybrooke Elementary and jessi realizes he’s a normal kid that’s worried about fitting back in with his old classmates (and hoping they won’t treat him different and start acting weird). She tells him about her upcoming audition after she sees the head shots in his room and he says he’ll coach her, but his mom comes back. Jessi leaves and then realizes she didn’t ask him anything for Becca about Lamount (who has a thousand questions for her before she left for the job but claimed she didn’t have a crush. She was just curious).
The next time Jessi sits for Derek, Becca begs her to come and seeing that the last time Derek had so many questions about the elementary school (and Becca is his age) Jessi thinks maybe he could use a friend. But it turns out to be a bad judgment call (and Jessi should have realized this). Becca just follows him around asking him questions about LA and Lamont. So Jessi decides to take him over to the Pikes. Only Mallory starts to treat him like royalty and he and the triplets get into it because he beats them at baatmitton and they ask him did he learn it at his school on set. So, he tells Jessi he wants to leave. Now he’s in a bad mood and says it’ll be worse at school.
Jessi has another job at tge /nasters abd ut hyst si gaooebs ti ve ib tge furst dat Derek returns to school. He vents to her about how bad the day whent. The girl’s mobbed him as soon as he walked into the door, there was a photographer who kept asking him questions and asked for an autogragh, the teacher made him stand up and talk about his career, a girl asked him did he wear makeup on set and because he said yes the boys teased him and they also got mad because the other girls were paying him all the attention. Then there was this kid named John who took his lunch and tied his shoes together. They give him the nickname “SuperBrrat”. Derek asks Jessi what he can do and then says maybe he ought to prank them right back. (since not even speaking up for himself seemed to do nothing). Jessi though says this might not be a good idea. Kristy sits for Karen and they end up watch Derek’s show. Kristy makes the mistake of telling Karen “Waldo” is a kid from there and he just moved back. Karen is starstruck and wants to know how he got on television. Kristy explains it and then Karen wants to meet Derek so she can talk to him about getting her on tv, but Kristy firmly says no. So, Karen calls over Hannie and Amanda and they put on a play (they wrote themselves) called “Getting to Be Stars”. Which is about Karen going to Hollywood and getting rejected until she finally gets her shot.
Despite some nasty dancers at the audition, it goes well and Jessi makes the first call back. But when she calls Mal to give her the good news, she fings out Derek got into a food fight tjat je started/ Claudia sits for the Master’s and they go to the playground. He tells her about how John pushed him off the monkey bars and then took his homework and dumped all the things in his book bag on the ground. John let him play ball with him once but then Derek discovered there was ABC gum all over the ball. Some boys come to the playground from Derek’s class an Claudia invites them to come back to the Master’s house. She figures if they see he’s just a normal kid they’ll leave him alone. It works. They’re amazed he doesn’t live in a Sidney castle. After they leave, Claudia asks if the leader was john. Derek just looks confused and says no he an John isn’t friends with them. Claudia is proud of herself.
On her second audition -since she’s supposed to be sitting- the Masters take Jessi to the audition and bring her back to their house. Jessi makes the second cut. Mrs. Masters and Derek hear the cut-throat girls again talking but smartly Derek takes down notes on all the things they notice that was off about Jessi’s performance. When at his house, Todd tells her Derek got another job for a tv movie and they’ll be moving back to LA. His friends stop by and he tells her not to tell them. He’ll tell them in time but not now. (But he’ll be leaving in 2 weeks). Derek suddenly realizes he won’t be able to see Swn Lake and tells Jessi she should come to LA. She might be able to get some modeling jobs and commercial work. Jessi decides to think this over seriously. (I feel like I’ve read this plot before one of th e Super Specials).
Jessi presents an idea to the club at the next meeting to throw Derek a surprise, goodbye, party and they all agree. Mallory says it can’t be on a certain day because that’s the day of Jessi’s last audition and all the club congratulate her. They decide to have it Saturday morning and make it a breakfast party. They can have doughnuts, cereal, juice, and fruit slices. They’ll invite all of Derek’s classmates. (Even john). Jessi gets right to work on her next “project” when she gets home she takes down some numbers and tells her parents Derek mentioned her getting into modeling and commericals. While she doesn’t want to go to LA maybe she can do what Derek did and get some work there in Stamford. Her parents ask her why she wants to do this with her schedule already so demanding but she brushes off making the final cut. They tell her if she’d like to look into it she can.
Derek’s mother is very excited about the party idea. While Jessi sits with Derek, he fills her head with ideas of potential typs of modeling jobs and a possible television series. The party is thrown. The BSC have relay races and wear bathrobes. Then Jessi goes to her second audition. Disappointedly, she’s told she has to wait to Wednesday to find out if she got in. In the mentime, she keeps busy making calls to agencies. But she finds out she *did* get it and realizes that’s really what she wanted all along. She also finds out there’s no “Suprebrat”, Derek says it was him all along and what he was telling her was the things *he* was doing to the other kids that kept making fun of him. Before he leaves he gives her a head hot of his and signs it “Friends Forver.
My Thoughts
I think I caught on half-way through the book that there wasn’t a superbrat and that Derek himself was the one which was suprising because Derek really *was* a decent, normal, kid. But I do know that if the nicest people can be pushed too far. DO I? As for Jessi, I feel like I’m always reading the same plot with her in these books. I feel like I read the plot about Derek wanting her to come out to LA and try modling and commercials and she was interested in it for a hot minute. And that’s because I read it in the Super Special where they all go out to visit Dawn’s dad and Jessi gets to spend time on the set of PS 162. Because Jessi is the black girl required in series like this and they made her “the dancer” I feel like after that she -the author- didn’t really know what do do with her-. Other than make her other interest baby sitting. So her plots are usually about an audition and thus repetitive. I did think tho it was smart to have Derek take the gossip against her and use it in her favor. Then the weird thing that I’m starting to notice is that all Jessi’s “special” charges are boys (Matt, Derek). At first I thought they were gonna make her crush on “Waldo” and I’m glad it kind of eased up on her fan girling out on him because he’s eight and she’s eleven.
Rating: 5
December 15, 2023
Read via audio (narrated by Bahni Turpin).
August 3, 2010
jessi's little sister is obsessed with a TV show called "p.s. 163". in fact, a bunch of kids in stoneybrook watch it. jessi is surprised to learn that the kid who plays waldo, the science nerd, is originally from stoneybrook. she intends to bring it up at the next BSC meeting, but is even more surprised when the kid's mom calls to say they are back in town while the show is on break & she needs a sitter. jessi is the only one available to take the job, so she has a chance to meet derek masters in the flesh & ply him with questions about his acting career.
derek is willing to answer jessi's questions, but is quick to change the subject when he can. jessi begins to realize that derek just wants to go back to his normal life in stoneybrook instead of having everyone fawn all over him. but his first day at school is a disaster. a reporter from the "stoneybrook news" is there to interview him, the girls are all lovestruck, & the boys make fun of him for wearing make-up on set. he tells jessi that one kid in particular, john, really bullies him. john threw derek's lunch all over the cafeteria, spilled his books all over the playground & stole his math homework, knocked him off the monkey bars, & tied his shoes together in gym class. jessi calls john a superbrat & wonders how she can repair the rift between the two.
meanwhile, jessi is trying out for a part in the stoneybrook civic center's production of "swan lake". her auditions are going well, but jessi wants the part more than she is willing to admit to herself. she starts asking derek for tips on getting into modeling & acting, figuring that it's got to be less stressful than ballet. her parents agree to let her call agents & find out what she'd need to do to switch hobbies. the more she gets into the acting/modeling idea, the more hopeless she feels about her chances of landing a part in "swan lake".
derek gets a part in a TV movie, so the family is moving back to los angeles sooner than they planned. jessi suggests that the babysitters arrange a surprise going-away party for derek. they decide on a breakfast theme, with cereal, bagels, & doughnuts, & all the sitters in bathrobes. they invite derek's entire class, & the party goes really well. no sign of any kid acting like a superbrat.
at the end of the book, jessi gets a part as a swan in "swan lake" & realizes that ballet is her real passion after all. she ditches her acting/modeling plans. she stops by the masters' house to say goodbye to derek & asked him about the superbrat. derek confesses that he was the superbrat, doing mean things to other kids because they made fun of him at first over his acting. but once the kids started being nice to him, he was nice back.
that's pretty much it. why are jessi books always a little dull? maybe because i don't care about ballet or any of the other crap jessi gets up to. i also wasn't crazy about the really kid-centric plot. wah wah, derek's peers are jealous of his acting career & he acts out, but then somehow magically everyone becomes friends in the end. isn't stoneybrook a magical place? it was kind of hilarious when jessi asked derek if he knows nicky pike, & he says, "nicky's a great guy." what a hollywood way to phrase it, especially coming from an eight-year-old.
derek is willing to answer jessi's questions, but is quick to change the subject when he can. jessi begins to realize that derek just wants to go back to his normal life in stoneybrook instead of having everyone fawn all over him. but his first day at school is a disaster. a reporter from the "stoneybrook news" is there to interview him, the girls are all lovestruck, & the boys make fun of him for wearing make-up on set. he tells jessi that one kid in particular, john, really bullies him. john threw derek's lunch all over the cafeteria, spilled his books all over the playground & stole his math homework, knocked him off the monkey bars, & tied his shoes together in gym class. jessi calls john a superbrat & wonders how she can repair the rift between the two.
meanwhile, jessi is trying out for a part in the stoneybrook civic center's production of "swan lake". her auditions are going well, but jessi wants the part more than she is willing to admit to herself. she starts asking derek for tips on getting into modeling & acting, figuring that it's got to be less stressful than ballet. her parents agree to let her call agents & find out what she'd need to do to switch hobbies. the more she gets into the acting/modeling idea, the more hopeless she feels about her chances of landing a part in "swan lake".
derek gets a part in a TV movie, so the family is moving back to los angeles sooner than they planned. jessi suggests that the babysitters arrange a surprise going-away party for derek. they decide on a breakfast theme, with cereal, bagels, & doughnuts, & all the sitters in bathrobes. they invite derek's entire class, & the party goes really well. no sign of any kid acting like a superbrat.
at the end of the book, jessi gets a part as a swan in "swan lake" & realizes that ballet is her real passion after all. she ditches her acting/modeling plans. she stops by the masters' house to say goodbye to derek & asked him about the superbrat. derek confesses that he was the superbrat, doing mean things to other kids because they made fun of him at first over his acting. but once the kids started being nice to him, he was nice back.
that's pretty much it. why are jessi books always a little dull? maybe because i don't care about ballet or any of the other crap jessi gets up to. i also wasn't crazy about the really kid-centric plot. wah wah, derek's peers are jealous of his acting career & he acts out, but then somehow magically everyone becomes friends in the end. isn't stoneybrook a magical place? it was kind of hilarious when jessi asked derek if he knows nicky pike, & he says, "nicky's a great guy." what a hollywood way to phrase it, especially coming from an eight-year-old.
June 1, 2019
Can you say STAR STRUCK! An 8 year old child star is moving back to Stoneybrook and Jessi from the babysitters club gets to babysit him! His name is Derek and all he seems to want is to have a normal life while he’s back but everyone keeps treating him different. The older and younger kids treat him like he’s royalty and all the kids his own age think he is spoiled and so they are jealous of him. Can the girls get him some friends? To top all this off, Jessi is going to audition for Swan Lake to be one of the ballerinas! With her nerves all in a bunch and tons of other ballerinas auditioning will she be good enough to make it?
December 2, 2018
This was kind of one of those "filler" BSC books, that don't add much to the overarching story, but are still fun to read. And it introduces a new, semi-regular baby-sitting charge: TV star Derek Masters. I really liked the addition of celeb life to Stoneybrook. (I can't wait til we see him again, or maybe I'm just excited thinking about
California Girls!
)
I liked Jessi's subplot about auditioning for Swan Lake. (And am glad that she didn't get the lead lmao.) Though I could have done without her aspirations of being a model ahaha.
I liked Jessi's subplot about auditioning for Swan Lake. (And am glad that she didn't get the lead lmao.) Though I could have done without her aspirations of being a model ahaha.
October 30, 2025
I read this as an attempt to get out of my reading slump. And it was also an book on my physical TBR, so it hit two birds with one stone. This series is so easy to breeze through. I don't feel like the books are super memorable, and my issue with this book was that I didn't feel like it had any conflict.
August 31, 2020
It’s honestly a AWESOME book! I can’t even describe how good it was,but all I can say is I would DEFINITELY recommend it.
December 12, 2023
Great book for Jessi’s character development.
April 8, 2025
I really enjoy Jessi's stories. She's fairly down-to-earth, which comes in handy here when the entire town becomes starstruck by a child actor from the area.
April 23, 2013
I remember thinking, even as a kid, that it was awfully convenient that suddenly a television show is in everyone's consciousness just in time for one of its stars to end up moving to Stoneybrook and needing a sitter. Jessi gets the job, and as a ballet dancer, she's also sort of into show business, so she starts kinda using her babysitting charge to get information about how she might become a model or an actress or something, since she keeps getting really stressed out about ballet. Anyway, the kid, Derek, seems pretty normal and doesn't like to talk about being on TV, and he confesses that he's getting picked on by one particular "superbrat" kid at school. Jessi feels bad for him. But it turns out he's been doing some bullying of his own because he feels put-upon by the attention and some jealousy. Anyway, this plot kinda didn't go anywhere because things sort of fixed themselves, and Jessi decided actually she likes ballet and wants to keep ballet-ing rather than trying to get into acting. I'm not sure why this book was written, and I was getting tired of "There's a new family/kid in town, and they need a sitter!"
November 1, 2013
In which Jessi is a douchenozzle. STFU, Jessi.
March 22, 2017
Jessi can be dull sometimes..
April 10, 2022
Really cute story - Jessi is my favorite sitter - personal summary/spoiler in comments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2024
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!🤩
November 3, 2009
Jessi looks like a young Michael Jackson on this cover.
December 18, 2017
Review was originally posted on The Writer's Inkwell
I used to be such a big fan of the Baby-sitters Club books as a young girl. However, the books featuring Jessi were never really appealing to me and I could never understand why. As an adult and after all of my multicultural literature classes, I think I’ve finally realized why. Although Ann M. Martin tried to add some diversity into her books with Claudia and Jessi, she didn’t have the knowledge or understanding of the cultural aspects that would make these girls more realistic.
As I reread the book, I was surprised to find that Jessi essentially cowers in Kristy’s presence. I find this appalling as it is brushed aside as merely happening because Kristy is in charge and older. But it does come off as a bit ignorant and insensitive to have one of the only two minority characters to cower around one of the main characters. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as one of the other culturally insensitive aspects of this series to talk about Claudia’s “almond-shaped eyes.”
As for the storyline, this book is lacking in any actual substance. The presence of a “superbrat” is ignored for the majority of the book. Especially since it is Derek who claims he’s being bullied, when in truth he is the bully. Also, this idea that Jessi would become so star struck that she would consider pursuing a modeling/acting job is ridiculous. It’s written off as being a coping mechanism for her nerves about auditioning for a local production of Black Swan. Looking back, the reason I probably disliked most of the Jessi books is because the author wrote one-dimensional stories that didn’t even fit into the context of the blurb on the back of the book. If this series had been written in today’s current climate, these books wouldn’t be able to compare to other popular series that can incorporate diversity and fully develop the characters in their series.
I used to be such a big fan of the Baby-sitters Club books as a young girl. However, the books featuring Jessi were never really appealing to me and I could never understand why. As an adult and after all of my multicultural literature classes, I think I’ve finally realized why. Although Ann M. Martin tried to add some diversity into her books with Claudia and Jessi, she didn’t have the knowledge or understanding of the cultural aspects that would make these girls more realistic.
As I reread the book, I was surprised to find that Jessi essentially cowers in Kristy’s presence. I find this appalling as it is brushed aside as merely happening because Kristy is in charge and older. But it does come off as a bit ignorant and insensitive to have one of the only two minority characters to cower around one of the main characters. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as one of the other culturally insensitive aspects of this series to talk about Claudia’s “almond-shaped eyes.”
As for the storyline, this book is lacking in any actual substance. The presence of a “superbrat” is ignored for the majority of the book. Especially since it is Derek who claims he’s being bullied, when in truth he is the bully. Also, this idea that Jessi would become so star struck that she would consider pursuing a modeling/acting job is ridiculous. It’s written off as being a coping mechanism for her nerves about auditioning for a local production of Black Swan. Looking back, the reason I probably disliked most of the Jessi books is because the author wrote one-dimensional stories that didn’t even fit into the context of the blurb on the back of the book. If this series had been written in today’s current climate, these books wouldn’t be able to compare to other popular series that can incorporate diversity and fully develop the characters in their series.
September 3, 2023
While Jessi may be the highest ranking on my list of BSC members, this book was dull. I thought the ending was really lame and even Jessi's actions didn't match up with her typical characterization. It felt phoned in and acted as a filler for Stacey's unfortunate return to Stoneybrooke in the next book. Jessi and the Superbrat focuses on her experience with a child actor on a popular children's show and his struggles in civilian life. I thought it was strange that he happened to come from a small town in Connecticut and landed a major television deal in LA. Jessi randomly decides to be a model because the Superbrat wants her to move to LA with him? She's a dancer and doesn't even want to be a model. It was so peculiar and Jessi is too devoted to ballet to give it up for the runway.
This book was totally weird and didn't match up with her behavior in previous books. This may have been the result of the ghostwriter who didn't fully understand Jessi or Ann M. Martin forget what kind of personality she gave her. Funny story, I went to school with a child actor and we didn't like him. He was obnoxious and his mom was a lot younger than his dad. We called him Nemo, which was a play on his surname. His actual name was Brandon and he was on a single episode of Law & Order in 1999. I called him a "scrotum" in 5th grade and he narc'ed on me, earning a one-way ticket to the Vice Principal's office. He pretty much proved my point and earned his title, don't you think? This book made me think of him and apparently he works as a financial advisor in New Hampshire with his wife. You're still a scrotum, dude. Screw you, Brandon.
That had nothing to do with the book, but it was just as stinky. I'm sorry, Jessi. You deserve better, queen.
This book was totally weird and didn't match up with her behavior in previous books. This may have been the result of the ghostwriter who didn't fully understand Jessi or Ann M. Martin forget what kind of personality she gave her. Funny story, I went to school with a child actor and we didn't like him. He was obnoxious and his mom was a lot younger than his dad. We called him Nemo, which was a play on his surname. His actual name was Brandon and he was on a single episode of Law & Order in 1999. I called him a "scrotum" in 5th grade and he narc'ed on me, earning a one-way ticket to the Vice Principal's office. He pretty much proved my point and earned his title, don't you think? This book made me think of him and apparently he works as a financial advisor in New Hampshire with his wife. You're still a scrotum, dude. Screw you, Brandon.
That had nothing to do with the book, but it was just as stinky. I'm sorry, Jessi. You deserve better, queen.
January 27, 2022
You can really tell this one was ghostwritten. And that's not a compliment.
Even though Jessi is one of my faves of the BSC, this one was pretty weak. The title itself is really misleading and the explanation for it is a little nonsensical. Derek isn't actually a "superbrat" so the whole premise is kind of upended. I was also confused as to how it seemed like no one in town knew about him until he and his family moved back, but like…they moved back, right? He was from there originally. It's a tiny town, I'm pretty sure everyone would know if a little kid moved to Hollywood and became a TV star! I was also a little weirded out by how Jessi was acting at the prospect of meeting him. Like, she's 11 and he's 8 but she was acting like she had some crush on him or something, I don't know. Like I said, the ghostwriting was pretty obvious because I really didn't feel like the characters behaved the way they typically do, or even the way any kid their age would.
I did like the portions of the book focusing on Jessi's auditions for Swan Lake—kind of wish that could've been the main plot, to be honest, although it wouldn't have had anything to do with babysitting so it wouldn't really make sense in this series. The idea of a "breakfast party" was kind of neat, but then they put on their bathrobes and I was like what the fuck. (They were dressed underneath, but still.)
Kind of a blah one with not much of a point and no clear message other than "kids on TV are real people" which…yep.
Even though Jessi is one of my faves of the BSC, this one was pretty weak. The title itself is really misleading and the explanation for it is a little nonsensical. Derek isn't actually a "superbrat" so the whole premise is kind of upended. I was also confused as to how it seemed like no one in town knew about him until he and his family moved back, but like…they moved back, right? He was from there originally. It's a tiny town, I'm pretty sure everyone would know if a little kid moved to Hollywood and became a TV star! I was also a little weirded out by how Jessi was acting at the prospect of meeting him. Like, she's 11 and he's 8 but she was acting like she had some crush on him or something, I don't know. Like I said, the ghostwriting was pretty obvious because I really didn't feel like the characters behaved the way they typically do, or even the way any kid their age would.
I did like the portions of the book focusing on Jessi's auditions for Swan Lake—kind of wish that could've been the main plot, to be honest, although it wouldn't have had anything to do with babysitting so it wouldn't really make sense in this series. The idea of a "breakfast party" was kind of neat, but then they put on their bathrobes and I was like what the fuck. (They were dressed underneath, but still.)
Kind of a blah one with not much of a point and no clear message other than "kids on TV are real people" which…yep.
October 9, 2022
4 out of 5 Superstars
I really liked this one. Jessi was the perfect babysitter for Derek because she could relate to him the most as a ballerina. There's a relation between going on auditions for a ballet, an acting gig, or even modeling. So that was good to see, the nerves and uncertainly of it all.
Also good to see the way people act when the are either starstruck by or jealous of someone who is famous, and how they effects the famous person who just wants to have a normal day.
Lastly, it funny to hear how the different narrators do Claudia's voice. Bahni Turpin makes her sound normal. The narrator for Kristy, Brittany Pressley, makes Claudia sound like an airhead.
Maybe that just reflects how each character sees Claudia.
I really liked this one. Jessi was the perfect babysitter for Derek because she could relate to him the most as a ballerina. There's a relation between going on auditions for a ballet, an acting gig, or even modeling. So that was good to see, the nerves and uncertainly of it all.
Also good to see the way people act when the are either starstruck by or jealous of someone who is famous, and how they effects the famous person who just wants to have a normal day.
Lastly, it funny to hear how the different narrators do Claudia's voice. Bahni Turpin makes her sound normal. The narrator for Kristy, Brittany Pressley, makes Claudia sound like an airhead.
Maybe that just reflects how each character sees Claudia.
October 28, 2023
I liked this book. Jessi baby sits for a movie/tv star, Derek, that lives in Stoneybrook when he’s not in Hollywood. He’s a great kid, but complains people at school teased him, in particular, a “superbrat” that plays pranks
Jessi is kind of starstruck, though understanding, and also showed interest in wanting to switch to acting after auditioning for ballet Swan Lake at the community centre, but decides to stick to ballet once she passed the audition
Before he goes back to Hollywood, the baby sitters throw a goodbye party for Derek and invite his classmates, but it was revealed he was the superbrat who played those jokes on classmates, in response to how they treated him
Jessi is kind of starstruck, though understanding, and also showed interest in wanting to switch to acting after auditioning for ballet Swan Lake at the community centre, but decides to stick to ballet once she passed the audition
Before he goes back to Hollywood, the baby sitters throw a goodbye party for Derek and invite his classmates, but it was revealed he was the superbrat who played those jokes on classmates, in response to how they treated him
June 28, 2024
A little disappointed, the title mislead me into thinking this would be about Jessi having to babysit a very misbehaved kid, which would've been interesting to see. This was cute enough too, but gosh I don't know if it's just because I'm so much older now or if I just happened to read the better books as a kid, but these couple I've read so far have been kinda lame in comparison to what I remember of this series. Maybe if I read some of my old favorites now, like Kristy and the Dirty Diapers or Stacey the Math Whiz, I wouldn't find them nearly as funny and interesting as I used to.
August 17, 2017
So many of Jessi's book were unfortunately super dull. This was no exception. It of course had a convoluted plot about a kid who is a star on a hit tv show being from Stoneybrook. He comes home during a break on the show and enrolls back in school and tries to live normally. It really made no sense, but hey, few things in the BSC-verse do. Jessi is also trying out for a ballet, because most of her books center around this even though early on she had no interest in being a professional dancer.
So boring.
So boring.
July 8, 2021
Jessi and everyone in stoneybrook is obsessed with a show about elementary school kids and what they get up too. One of the main characters is from Stoneybrook and when he comes back from LA his mum hires the babysitters club to look after her two sons (one being the actor). Of course Jessi lands the role of babysitter and finds out that Derek is having a hard time fitting in and is also getting bullied by a kid named John. Jessi with the help of the other members of the BSC encourage Derek to make friends with the other kids they babysit for.
May 4, 2024
Jessi gets STARSTRUCK when Derek Masters, an actual TV star moves back into town. The other BSC members and some of their siblings and clients also get very excited. But Derek has a hard time fitting in, and is plagued by a mean classmate named John. Who is this mysterious kid who is harassing this cutie patootie?
This book was a middle of the road BSC book for me. I dont' remember it too well after re-reading it and I can see why; it doesnt' have the most exciting plot (and I have to say, I don't love Jessi's dance related sections) but it wasn't a bad book either.
This book was a middle of the road BSC book for me. I dont' remember it too well after re-reading it and I can see why; it doesnt' have the most exciting plot (and I have to say, I don't love Jessi's dance related sections) but it wasn't a bad book either.
September 28, 2016
Jessi baby sits for a child actor who stars in a hit TV show in this book, Derek Masters, who will be a recurring character for the rest of this series. Jessi is so stressed out over an important ballet audition that she considers (and is goaded on by Derek) taking up acting, since it must be so much less pressure, and so much less work. ("I mean, all you have to do is stand there and smile, right?") In the meantime, Derek has a lot of trouble adjusting to life in public elementary school. I bought this at a school book fair when I was in second grade, so I was either seven or eight when I read it.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
A huge amount. This was one of the very first (it may have been the second or third) book in the series I ever read, and I owned it, so I read it more than once. I remember Becca's crush on the fictional Lamont, I remember "John" the superbrat, I remember Jessi's dance audition, and the way Derek takes notes for her to help her performance.
For some reason, Jessi's ballet auditions, and classes really stick out in my mind, possibly because I was taking ballet classes at the time. As a seven year old it seemed reasonable that an eleven year old would audition for such a big performance, going up against semi-professional, or professional dancers from New York City. I was in awe of the audition process, especially since this book does not sugar coat how awful some people can act while auditioning. The catty dancers who pick apart everyone's performance was right on the money, and I loved how Derek gets the idea to take notes on what they say when Jessi auditions so that she can use their critiques to improve her performance. I think only someone who has lived through the same process can understand how difficult, stressful, and important it is.
I remember the baby sitters having a breakfast party for Derek's going away celebration, and how horrified Claudia is that they can only serve donuts for sweets. I loved the idea of a breakfast party, and to this day hosting brunches is my favorite way of entertaining. I also was mystified that donuts were the only sugary things Claudia could think of (coffee cake, danish, pancakes, muffins are all things I would consider sugary things to serve at breakfast).
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This book's title is midleading since it implies that Derek Masters the TV star is such a snobby and spoiled brat that Jessi and the rest of Stoneybrook can't handle him. In truth, Derek Masters is a down-to-earth kid, who is eager to fit in with his classmates, and let them know he may be a TV star, but he's just a regular kid. The Superbrat is actually Derek's alter ego, John, who bullies the kids who are mean to him. (Or stands up to those who are bullying him, if you want to see it that way.)
I don't buy that Jessi not only auditioned for a professional ballet, but that she got a part. Again, if Jessi is only eleven she can only have been en pointe for a year, at the most. There is just no way she is ready to compete with professional, grown-up ballerinas.
I love the friendship that develops between Jessi and Derek. There's something very real about it. Jessi is at first so star struck she can hardly think. (The most important thing in her mind is when can she get Derek's autograph?) She confuses Derek for the character he plays on TV, and ignores his little brother Todd so that she can ask Derek questions about being a star. Slowly she realizes that Derek is more focused on adjusting back life in the real world, and that he and Todd are pretty great kids. Eventually they find common ground with the pleasure they take from practicing and developing their art. They each understand how difficult auditions are, and they understand the pain and the reward they get from performing. Derek's mother is willing to pick up Jessi from her audition, and she and Derek are happy to dissect Jessi's performance from a technical point. Although Jessi gets lots of emotional support from her family, I would imagine she likes having the logistical support of Derek's family as well. Her parents don't know much about ballet, but they are willing to encourage Jessi to pursue her interest in ballet. They will be proud of her no matter what, and they will always think she did a great job. However, the Masters can appreciate the hard work, the stress, and the rejection Jessi faces by going through the process. If she fails they will be able to help her work on improving, either by practicing harder, or by learning to be more personable during auditions. They could suggest coaches and photographers. In a way this probably means just as much to her as her parents' unconditional support. Yet, Jessi doesn't use Derek for his connections, (eventually, she even rejects his idea of going into acting and moving out to L.A. with his family) and she seems to genuinely enjoy Derek's entire family, including little Todd, and they genuinely enjoy Jessi. I like to imagine that in ten years Jessi and Derek will still be friends. Jessi will be in the corps in the New York City Ballet, and Derek will be trying his hand at acting in edgy independent films in New York. They will go to the same parties, and the same events, and they will make themselves memorable by telling the story of how Derek took notes for Jessi's ballet audition, and how he didn't know how to spell tour jete.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
A huge amount. This was one of the very first (it may have been the second or third) book in the series I ever read, and I owned it, so I read it more than once. I remember Becca's crush on the fictional Lamont, I remember "John" the superbrat, I remember Jessi's dance audition, and the way Derek takes notes for her to help her performance.
For some reason, Jessi's ballet auditions, and classes really stick out in my mind, possibly because I was taking ballet classes at the time. As a seven year old it seemed reasonable that an eleven year old would audition for such a big performance, going up against semi-professional, or professional dancers from New York City. I was in awe of the audition process, especially since this book does not sugar coat how awful some people can act while auditioning. The catty dancers who pick apart everyone's performance was right on the money, and I loved how Derek gets the idea to take notes on what they say when Jessi auditions so that she can use their critiques to improve her performance. I think only someone who has lived through the same process can understand how difficult, stressful, and important it is.
I remember the baby sitters having a breakfast party for Derek's going away celebration, and how horrified Claudia is that they can only serve donuts for sweets. I loved the idea of a breakfast party, and to this day hosting brunches is my favorite way of entertaining. I also was mystified that donuts were the only sugary things Claudia could think of (coffee cake, danish, pancakes, muffins are all things I would consider sugary things to serve at breakfast).
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This book's title is midleading since it implies that Derek Masters the TV star is such a snobby and spoiled brat that Jessi and the rest of Stoneybrook can't handle him. In truth, Derek Masters is a down-to-earth kid, who is eager to fit in with his classmates, and let them know he may be a TV star, but he's just a regular kid. The Superbrat is actually Derek's alter ego, John, who bullies the kids who are mean to him. (Or stands up to those who are bullying him, if you want to see it that way.)
I don't buy that Jessi not only auditioned for a professional ballet, but that she got a part. Again, if Jessi is only eleven she can only have been en pointe for a year, at the most. There is just no way she is ready to compete with professional, grown-up ballerinas.
I love the friendship that develops between Jessi and Derek. There's something very real about it. Jessi is at first so star struck she can hardly think. (The most important thing in her mind is when can she get Derek's autograph?) She confuses Derek for the character he plays on TV, and ignores his little brother Todd so that she can ask Derek questions about being a star. Slowly she realizes that Derek is more focused on adjusting back life in the real world, and that he and Todd are pretty great kids. Eventually they find common ground with the pleasure they take from practicing and developing their art. They each understand how difficult auditions are, and they understand the pain and the reward they get from performing. Derek's mother is willing to pick up Jessi from her audition, and she and Derek are happy to dissect Jessi's performance from a technical point. Although Jessi gets lots of emotional support from her family, I would imagine she likes having the logistical support of Derek's family as well. Her parents don't know much about ballet, but they are willing to encourage Jessi to pursue her interest in ballet. They will be proud of her no matter what, and they will always think she did a great job. However, the Masters can appreciate the hard work, the stress, and the rejection Jessi faces by going through the process. If she fails they will be able to help her work on improving, either by practicing harder, or by learning to be more personable during auditions. They could suggest coaches and photographers. In a way this probably means just as much to her as her parents' unconditional support. Yet, Jessi doesn't use Derek for his connections, (eventually, she even rejects his idea of going into acting and moving out to L.A. with his family) and she seems to genuinely enjoy Derek's entire family, including little Todd, and they genuinely enjoy Jessi. I like to imagine that in ten years Jessi and Derek will still be friends. Jessi will be in the corps in the New York City Ballet, and Derek will be trying his hand at acting in edgy independent films in New York. They will go to the same parties, and the same events, and they will make themselves memorable by telling the story of how Derek took notes for Jessi's ballet audition, and how he didn't know how to spell tour jete.
May 2, 2021
4 stars. Loved this one. Jessi's auditioning for Swan Lake and I loved all of the ballet stuff in this. It was very entertaining. She's also babysitting a child actor. So this was just a really fun read from beginning to end. I loved how much she bonded with Derek and their little friendship. It was adorable. Jessi is one of my favorites of the girls so it's always a good time where the book is focused on her.
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