Karen's in Love

Baby-Sitters Little Sister #15

by Ann M. Martin

From the bestselling author of the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club comes a series for a new generation! Karen + Ricky = LoveAt first, Karen and Ricky were enemies. But now they like each other. They are even going to get married. Only now Karen and Ricky are in a big fight! First Karen puts gum in Ricky’s desk. Then Ricky calls Karen Four-eyes. Will Karen and Ricky make up... or break up?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Romance, Young Adult, Juvenile, Chapter Books

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

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

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

Reviews

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every time I read a Karen book I'm like, "ughhhh Karen! So annoying" and then I read another Little Sister book a month later. So I have no one but myself to blame for this agony.

Karen fights with her pretend husband Ricky, then decides to make up with him for Valentine's Day and get "married." It's more intricate than my own wedding, jfc. I was exhausted reading all of the plans for it. It's endless.

The best part is when the "big" family goes to McDonald's for dinner and they dedicate a chapter to it. I too can recall the thrill of having a family night out at McDonald's and anticipating it like it was the finest of dining. And now I want some fries.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen and Ricky used to be enemies, but now they're friends. They're even going to get married, just like their best friends Hannie and Scott did. It's quite a Valentine's Day on the school playground!

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is set around Valentine's Day. Karen and Ricky Torres want to get married. It's cute enough but I HATED how Karen and her friends and Pamela and her friends treat each other. The 2 cliques are nasty to each other and its not fun to read.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book still perplexes me. Never once in my elementary school years did my friends and I think about “marrying” someone. Did anyone actually do this in their youth?

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a child, I had kind of an obsession with romantic love, but for some reason, did not seek out literature that would actually focus on this interest--instead, I would really hope that the characters in various popular books would hook up. As you can probably imagine, the level of romance described never satisfied me. But I did sit there and (nerd alert!) copy down the entire wedding scene, by hand, from a library copy of this book. (I perceived the book as "rare." In actuality, it probably was simply not found in our tiny local Waldenbooks or Target fiction endcap because it wasn't the newest in the series.)

The bizarre and disappointing thing about this book is that the focus is actually on Karen and Ricky having a huge fight, threatening their upcoming "marriage," instead of on Karen's alleged love for Ricky. This was a big letdown as a child, though I can't imagine what I was envisioning--seven-year-olds necking in hallways or something? The resolution of the fight is given away by the cover, so it's not exactly a huge surprise when they reconcile.

Not sure how I would feel if I had children and they wanted to be "married." It's not that it seems dirty to me or anything, just that several things about the concept strike me a little funny. . . not the least of which being, because they are small children and can't actually play out any aspect of a real marriage, the entire act of "being married" consists of the play wedding. I've noticed that my generation is fairly wedding obsessed already, so I certainly wouldn't want to reinforce that. On the other hand, actively forbidding the children to get pretend-married would probably produce an undesirable rebellion, further obsession with love, Romeo/Juliet complex, etc. . . not that the adults in this book were *at all* involved in this play marriage, or talked to Karen about any aspect of it. So apparently, just let your kid wear her party clothes to school, look the other way, and you're good to go! :-p

[Teresa Granado-Law]

WHY did the teacher, Mrs. Coleman, tell them they only had to give Valentine's Day cards to people they wanted to give them to? Right away you know someone will feel alienated and unloved. Poor Nancy Springer. Basically ignored. (In the 1970s and 1980s, the teacher would hand out the full class roster and we were to bring a card for each and every person).

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had plenty of "boyfriends" as a young child. Very cute.

[Don Heiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Apple has a children’s book series called “Babysitters.” The series has a Little Sister #15 novel by Ann M. Martin titled “Karen’s in Love”. The novel was published by Scholastic Inc in 1991. The novel begins with 10 year old Karen Brewer receiving in the mail an invitation for Pamela Harding’s birthday party. The invitation surprised Karen because she and Pamela didn’t like each other despite the fact that they both are students in the same second grade class at Stoneybrook Academy. After making a telephone call to her 10 year old boyfriend Ricky Torres and her two friends Hannie and Nancy, Karen learned that the birthday party is sponsored by Pamela Harding’s parents and everyone in their daughter’s second grade class was mailed an invention to attend the party. Her boyfriend Ricky and his friends were encouraged by their parents to go to the party and bring a birthday gift. Soon after the birthday party they learned their school will have a Valentine’s Day party. Two days before the school’s Valentines party began, Karen learned from her friends that Ricky had told Pamela he likes her very much. Karen was amazed when she heard this, and she was very upset about Ricky’s desire to bond with Pamela. She confronted Ricky and told him of her anger. She then chewed gum and placed it inside his desk storage area. When Ricky returned from the bathroom he tried to retrieve a book from his desk storage area and he got the gum on his fingers. He struggled to get it off. He then attacked her desk storage area by putting a mashed banana inside her desk. After enduring many combative incidents, Karen decided to stop attacking Ricky. The day before the school’s Valentine Party, Karen made a Valentine card for him and signed it “To Ricky. Love. Karen.” On Valentine’s Day Karen’s father made heart shaped pancakes topped with strawberries and milk with red food coloring. Karen and her brother were also given baskets filled with red candies, and chocolate heart kisses with “I Love You” messages wrapped around chocolate candy bars. When Karen went to school her teacher Ms Colman passed out materials for all her second graders to use to build “mailboxes” and she told them to put the boxes on the top of their desks. After the boxes were built and placed on the desk tops, each of the students delivered their Valentine cards to the recipients’ mailboxes. Ricky’s card was too big for Karen’s mailbox. He walked to her desk and personally handed the card to her. In the card he wrote a message apologizing for his flirtations with Pamela, and he proposed that he and Karen “marry” during recess on the next school day. She was elated ,said yes, and asked her friends to help her make the ceremony “marriage” arrangements. Her friends agreed to help her with arrangements about what to wear, selection of brides’ maids, who would be ushers, ceremonial wedding ring exchanges, and celebration paper flower arrangements. Karen’s friend Natalie agreed to play on her violin “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” at the marriage ceremony. Ricky agreed with Karen that the ceremony minister would be their friend Audrey. After the ceremony on the playground, Karen and Ricky were committed to each other and they were very ecstatic. (P)

[Sayo -bibliotequeish-]

You may remember Ricky from Karen's School Picture as that little brat who called Karen four-eyes... and look at them now ... men


When you were too old for childrens books, but too young for The Baby Sitters Club.
Ann M. Martin really is a genius to piggy back on the success of The Baby Sitters Club.

After reading the little sisters series I remember feeling like a real adult opening up that first BSC book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book always fascinated me for the sole reason that it's the only Little Sister book where the title isn't a possessive.

I had completely forgotten about the story in this book, about Pamela's birthday and whatnot. (I'm surprised that Karen's mom let her bring such a crap gift!) But I never understood everyone's obsession with getting married (lmao still don't) so this was never a fave book of mine.

But most importantly the Big House family goes to McDonalds on my bday. (I don't know if I ever caught that when I was younger.) I'm just happy that I don't share a birthday with Pamela.

[Natalie]

Karen’s second grade class decides to throw a Valentine’s Day party. Karen is ‘engaged’ to her friend Ricky and wants to make him a nice Valentine. At the same time, she and her friends are invited to a birthday party thrown by the mean girl Pamela. Karen gets mad at Ricky after he goes back on a plan they made to ruin Pamela’s birthday. The two eventually make up and exchange Valentines and get married on the playground. This is a cute short novel about being kind to others and making up after arguments. Some parts of this seemed a bit dated, particularly the playground wedding ceremony, but overall will still appeal to kids today.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much nostalgia for me within these books. The details behind her two families, two houses, two best friends...I still remember all of her classmates and Ms. Colman’s Surprise Announcements. I played out all of these stories with my barbies when I was younger.

[Oscar Maquito · Rating 3 out of 5]

*4.2/5

[Kennely · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great thing to do but I miss you more smarter and more things that have information wow are you peoples life❤️.

[Keshia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nostalgic reminder of life before cell phones and social media.

[Looney · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are under my reading level, but they are a fun quick read.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 re-read: Listened to the audiobook; it was actually pretty good and only like 90 minutes long.

+

Review 2023: Meh... Karen got a bit mean girl on her best enemy Pamela Harding here. Like she dressed crappily for Pamela's birthday party and deliberately gave her a crappy gift. Then got all jealous when her fiance Ricky Torres actually acts like a decent person towards Pamela. Especially since Karen thinks Pamela likes Ricky herself. Ugh. High school drama amongst second graders, but honestly, even though I know Karen wins Ricky's hand in the end, I'm totally team Pamela in this book.

Also LOL at Karen being all like, "Ricky asked me to marry him." I just read Karen's New Year, Karen Brewer, I remember you *telling* him to ask you to marry him. :-)

[Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this edition of Baby-Sitters Little Sister, Karen becomes a child bride. When her husband-to-be, Ricky Torres, begins to show interest in an older, far more hip and sophisticated woman, Pamela Harding, Karen decides to up the ante. After showing Ricky just how ferocious she is by playing cruel and underhanded tricks, she switches the tables as shows a softer, more artistic side. Confused, and perhaps just a little turned on, Ricky accepts her proposal and the two wed in a garden wedding.

Meanwhile, annual celebrations occur. People rip out still-beating hearts, slather them with candy and share them with those they consider friends. I want no part in these celebrations.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was really unrealistic, but I liked reading the descriptions about Pamela's birthday party, and all the valentine's day activities and celebrations that took place in the book, such as the Valentine’s Day breakfast at the little
House where Karen was gifted with red barrettes, making cards from scratch for family and store bought ones for the kids in class (except Ricky who got a handmade one), a family outing to McDonald’s after opening gifts, a Valentine’s Day party in class where they ate red hots and played valentines themed games, and finally, the wedding on the playground

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen and Ricky used to be enemies, but now they love eachother, and i mean LOVE! They're even going to get married, just like their best friends Hannie and Scott did. It's quite a Valentine's Day on the school playground! Are ricky and karen really get married? aren't they like 7? OR will somebody break them up? Like ricky hurting karens feelings when he calles her a three eyed monster. and how she hurts his feelings by emberissing her? This book is good because it is funny! and i love it!

[Fadumo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was ADOOORABLE. I just loved romance when I was 7. I remember me reading this for the 1st time being so happy that Ricky and Karen were frinds and them getting MARRIED!!
* I showed this to my friend ( is a boy) and he thought it was cute but a tiny bit creepy. The part about getting married in a way like that

* I agreed with my friend.....it was weird a little. But other than that one of the BEST!! LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

[Reader Girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter loves all of the Karen books, so I thought I should read one. I see why she likes them, but it was definitely the child's version of a trashy romance novel - an easy read with no real substance. However, this was a reasonably good book (no annoying flaws) and quite impressive if you consider the volume of books Ann Martin writes. I'm sure I would have liked it much better if I was in the target audience.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was amazing. I loved when Karen and Ricky got married. I thought it was cool how she got advice from Hannie, who is also married and in second grade. I like her Valentine that she gives to Ricky.

[Sarah Lu]

I always thought that the "Pretend Husband" "Pretend Wife" concept in this book series was very... odd. I don't know, it just seemed really odd to me even when I was a kid and it is equally baffling now. It was interesting to see how it began, but still. Baffling.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which Karen, in true first grader form, gets married on the playground. The marriage is annulled a short time later.

[Toni Tutmarc · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice. =)

[Jackie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

What young girl did not love the Baby-Sitters Club and Karen, the Baby-Sitters Little Sister?

[Halima · Rating 5 out of 5]

ths book iz owsumm!!!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is an ok book but is worth to read for a 10 book prodject. I like to read romantic stuff but this is not a good book for love.