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The Baby-Sitters Club #37
Dawn and the Older Boy
Dawn has met Travis, an older boy, and she knows he's the perfect boy for her. The Baby-sitters think that smooth talking Travis is no good and plan to tell Dawn just that.
160 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 1990
71 people are currently reading
885 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,101 books3,045 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 77 reviews
May 17, 2022
Creo que, después de 37 libros de The Baby-Sitters Club, puedo decir con seguridad que Dawn es mi menos favorita. Ya lo venía sospechando libros atrás, pero en este dije: yep (y mis tres favoritas son Kristy, Mallory y Claudia).
March 15, 2016
this is my first time reading this book!
in this mary lou kennedy-ghostwritten book, dawn meets a turd sandwich named travis who is from california and has blonde hair and blue eyes so she gets a moron boner for him. and when he tells her to change her appearance, she changes to accommodate his beliefs about attractiveness because she is not, as her friends always say, an individual. she is a follower. meanwhile, james hobart is directing a play and his friend zach keeps telling him to act more like an amurrican. and dawn is upset by james falling for zach's crap and changing to accommodate that, but she doesn't see the parallelism in her life, because these characters in bsc books NEVER SEE PARALLELISM IN THEIR LIVES. THEY ARE SO DUMB.
highlights:
-towards the end of the book, mary anne convinces dawn to start writing letters to lewis, logan's cousin, because mary anne wants dawn to have creepy family double dates with her. after writing one letter, dawn narrates, "I wondered if I could have made it more interesting, decided that I couldn't, and finally dropped it in the mailbox." I love this, because DAWN IS NOT INTERESTING. ann (and ghost-writers) clearly think dawn is interesting, but she really isn't. all she ever has to talk about is how vegetarians only eat broccoli (lies!) and how southern california is only populated by white people (double lies!)
-uhhmmmm...I think it's cool that in james hobart's play, chewbacca perkins the nightmare labrador retriever is the star. that's cute I guess.
-I'm done. I don't really have highlights. this book is dumb.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-IS DAWN A VEGETARIAN OR IS SHE NOT? AGGGGHHHHHHHH STOP BEING SO INCONSISTENT!
-travis buys dawn hair combs as a means to tell her how to do her hair. I know this is a plot point but oh my god this makes me so miserable. controlling POS men and women falling for their crap! BOOOO.
-re: lewis bruno, logan's cousin, when mary anne is selling him really hard, dawn says: "how could there be anybody nicer than travis?" how are you not noticing that this guy is treating you like crap?
-zach is awful to james hobart and calls susan felder a retard. this book really bummed me out, dude.
-when dawn finally confronts travis about his behavior, he says, "you're a great-looking girl, dawn. I just figured you could use a few suggestions on how to dress and do your hair." UGHHHH
-lewis bruno says he is 5'10. really? he is 14 years old. that's REALLY tall for a 14 year old.
-dawn says people have always told her she should go into modeling or acting. really? that's the first mention of that in this series.
-dawn says in a letter to lewis, "do you know I found a place that sells vegetarian pizza?" uh, yeah, it's called plain cheese pizza, you idiot.
claudia outfit:
-"Today, for example, she had stuck to two colors: black and white. Black cotton bib overalls over a white turtleneck with a shiny black patent leather belt looped around her waist. Black suede ankle boots and white cotton socks. Long black hair swept off her face with giant white plastic barrettes."
no snacks in claudia's room.
in this mary lou kennedy-ghostwritten book, dawn meets a turd sandwich named travis who is from california and has blonde hair and blue eyes so she gets a moron boner for him. and when he tells her to change her appearance, she changes to accommodate his beliefs about attractiveness because she is not, as her friends always say, an individual. she is a follower. meanwhile, james hobart is directing a play and his friend zach keeps telling him to act more like an amurrican. and dawn is upset by james falling for zach's crap and changing to accommodate that, but she doesn't see the parallelism in her life, because these characters in bsc books NEVER SEE PARALLELISM IN THEIR LIVES. THEY ARE SO DUMB.
highlights:
-towards the end of the book, mary anne convinces dawn to start writing letters to lewis, logan's cousin, because mary anne wants dawn to have creepy family double dates with her. after writing one letter, dawn narrates, "I wondered if I could have made it more interesting, decided that I couldn't, and finally dropped it in the mailbox." I love this, because DAWN IS NOT INTERESTING. ann (and ghost-writers) clearly think dawn is interesting, but she really isn't. all she ever has to talk about is how vegetarians only eat broccoli (lies!) and how southern california is only populated by white people (double lies!)
-uhhmmmm...I think it's cool that in james hobart's play, chewbacca perkins the nightmare labrador retriever is the star. that's cute I guess.
-I'm done. I don't really have highlights. this book is dumb.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-IS DAWN A VEGETARIAN OR IS SHE NOT? AGGGGHHHHHHHH STOP BEING SO INCONSISTENT!
-travis buys dawn hair combs as a means to tell her how to do her hair. I know this is a plot point but oh my god this makes me so miserable. controlling POS men and women falling for their crap! BOOOO.
-re: lewis bruno, logan's cousin, when mary anne is selling him really hard, dawn says: "how could there be anybody nicer than travis?" how are you not noticing that this guy is treating you like crap?
-zach is awful to james hobart and calls susan felder a retard. this book really bummed me out, dude.
-when dawn finally confronts travis about his behavior, he says, "you're a great-looking girl, dawn. I just figured you could use a few suggestions on how to dress and do your hair." UGHHHH
-lewis bruno says he is 5'10. really? he is 14 years old. that's REALLY tall for a 14 year old.
-dawn says people have always told her she should go into modeling or acting. really? that's the first mention of that in this series.
-dawn says in a letter to lewis, "do you know I found a place that sells vegetarian pizza?" uh, yeah, it's called plain cheese pizza, you idiot.
claudia outfit:
-"Today, for example, she had stuck to two colors: black and white. Black cotton bib overalls over a white turtleneck with a shiny black patent leather belt looped around her waist. Black suede ankle boots and white cotton socks. Long black hair swept off her face with giant white plastic barrettes."
no snacks in claudia's room.
March 4, 2012
This is a re-review for the books that made me love reading challenge. Rating I gave this series as a child, 5. Rating I give it as an adult, 3. Allow me to explain.
If I had to pick a single person to credit for my love of reading, it would be Anne M. Martin. I remember coming home from second grade and reading two Baby-Sitter's Little Sister books at a go. Karen Brewer had a crazy imagination like me, and she had two very good friends. I pretended they were my friends to make up for the fact that I didn't really have any of my own. It worked. I had a wonderful childhood in the company of my pseudo-imaginary playmates.
When I got a little bit older, I naturally turned to The Baby-Sitter's Club to read about Karen's big stepsister Kristy and all her friends; she had at least 11! I had a little white bookshelf lined with the BSC. I would beg my parents to take me to the bookstore to get the latest volume in the series, and oh the joy, when a new one came out!
Once my older sister and I cut out hundreds of squares and rectangles from paper, stapled them together to make little envelope pockets, inserted carefully measured slips of lined paper, and turned my BSC collection into a play library. We spent hours on the project, showing yet another way these books enriched my young life. I still find these play library slips in my old books too!
Are you noticing how nostalgic this review has been so far? Imagine my delight, when I found a copy of "Dawn and the Older Boy" at my local thrift store. I remembered the cover and knew that meant I had loved this particular volume. Re-reading it, there were several things I liked about the book, and in turn the series:
*The writing was fresh, and it felt like Dawn was talking directly to me
*The characterization was great; I felt like I know each of these girls
*Multiculturalism - yay!
*It's super cool that 13 year-old Christy started such an amazing business
*The trials of the BSC member in profile lined up with the trials of the kids being babysat
*There were important lessons to be learned
Things I didn't like so much:
About 1/3 of the book was devoted to explaining who everyone was, how they met, where they fit into the BSC, and the like. No wonder Anne M. Martin could crank these out so fast! Each book catches the reader up on everything. I don't remember this bothering me as a child, but it would drive me nuts now (it was fine this time around since I was reading for nostalgia's sake).
There were a lot of parenthetical asides and sometimes sloppy jumps into the back story. I just wanted to know what was going to happen with Dawn and Travis, but then I had to listen to how Dawn's mom met Mary Anne's dad. The transition felt forced. And yes, the author literally uses a lot of parentheses too.
In the end though, the Baby-Sitter's Club isn't meant to entertain adults. It's targeted at eager middle grade readers, and if memory serves me correctly, the series does a great job of reaching its target audience. I learned a really important message too...
Luckily, the message is repeated point-blank at least 4 times in the story, then recapped in a note from the author in the end, so I think I REALLY understand it. Allow me to quote the author:
"If someone is interested in you, then he or she is interested in you--not in somebody you're pretending to be. Remember, if you pretend to be somebody you're not, you'll be unhappy, and the other person won't know who you are. The best kind of relationship is one that's honest, in which the people involved are open with each other and truly know each other."
Touche, Anne M. Martin, touche.
If I had to pick a single person to credit for my love of reading, it would be Anne M. Martin. I remember coming home from second grade and reading two Baby-Sitter's Little Sister books at a go. Karen Brewer had a crazy imagination like me, and she had two very good friends. I pretended they were my friends to make up for the fact that I didn't really have any of my own. It worked. I had a wonderful childhood in the company of my pseudo-imaginary playmates.
When I got a little bit older, I naturally turned to The Baby-Sitter's Club to read about Karen's big stepsister Kristy and all her friends; she had at least 11! I had a little white bookshelf lined with the BSC. I would beg my parents to take me to the bookstore to get the latest volume in the series, and oh the joy, when a new one came out!
Once my older sister and I cut out hundreds of squares and rectangles from paper, stapled them together to make little envelope pockets, inserted carefully measured slips of lined paper, and turned my BSC collection into a play library. We spent hours on the project, showing yet another way these books enriched my young life. I still find these play library slips in my old books too!
Are you noticing how nostalgic this review has been so far? Imagine my delight, when I found a copy of "Dawn and the Older Boy" at my local thrift store. I remembered the cover and knew that meant I had loved this particular volume. Re-reading it, there were several things I liked about the book, and in turn the series:
*The writing was fresh, and it felt like Dawn was talking directly to me
*The characterization was great; I felt like I know each of these girls
*Multiculturalism - yay!
*It's super cool that 13 year-old Christy started such an amazing business
*The trials of the BSC member in profile lined up with the trials of the kids being babysat
*There were important lessons to be learned
Things I didn't like so much:
About 1/3 of the book was devoted to explaining who everyone was, how they met, where they fit into the BSC, and the like. No wonder Anne M. Martin could crank these out so fast! Each book catches the reader up on everything. I don't remember this bothering me as a child, but it would drive me nuts now (it was fine this time around since I was reading for nostalgia's sake).
There were a lot of parenthetical asides and sometimes sloppy jumps into the back story. I just wanted to know what was going to happen with Dawn and Travis, but then I had to listen to how Dawn's mom met Mary Anne's dad. The transition felt forced. And yes, the author literally uses a lot of parentheses too.
In the end though, the Baby-Sitter's Club isn't meant to entertain adults. It's targeted at eager middle grade readers, and if memory serves me correctly, the series does a great job of reaching its target audience. I learned a really important message too...
Luckily, the message is repeated point-blank at least 4 times in the story, then recapped in a note from the author in the end, so I think I REALLY understand it. Allow me to quote the author:
"If someone is interested in you, then he or she is interested in you--not in somebody you're pretending to be. Remember, if you pretend to be somebody you're not, you'll be unhappy, and the other person won't know who you are. The best kind of relationship is one that's honest, in which the people involved are open with each other and truly know each other."
Touche, Anne M. Martin, touche.
June 12, 2020
This book still confuses me to no end. Travis the Creeper clearly pursued Dawn, but for what reason? Did he genuinely like her? Did he want a friend? Is he just really into makeovers? I don't get it. What were his intentions?
But above all, I am most confused on Sara. She KNOWS Travis has been hanging out with Dawn, and even remarks about how he's been "turning her into a great beauty." Who would be okay with their 16 year old boyfriend hanging out with a 13 year old girl and giving her a makeover? I AM SO CONFUSED BY THIS BOOK. And that is why I love it.
But above all, I am most confused on Sara. She KNOWS Travis has been hanging out with Dawn, and even remarks about how he's been "turning her into a great beauty." Who would be okay with their 16 year old boyfriend hanging out with a 13 year old girl and giving her a makeover? I AM SO CONFUSED BY THIS BOOK. And that is why I love it.
August 12, 2020
I revisited this as a way to combine nostalgic guilty pleasure with learning Norwegian (I read a translation).
The story is disappointing. I know they needed to make it PG but the only way this boy tries to "change" Dawn is with a couple of beauty tips. Putting aside the whole gaydar issue, this is totally unrealistic for a teen boy. And anyway, big friggin deal. That's supposed to be "controlling"? Whatever.
Inconsistencies abound. Dawn is supposed to be such AN INDIVIDUAL but not here, I guess. Also Travis is involved in a ton of extracurricular activities (half a dozen different sports plus debate and theater or something), but every time we see him after school he's earring shopping.
God, why do I read these? Oh yeah, the outfit descriptions. And reading online snark is pretty hilarious and gratifying, just Google the titles and look for snark and old BSC Livejournal groups.
ETA: I noticed the sentence about Sara's trendy "white cotton flight suit" was left out of the Norwegian translation altogether. 😆 Too weird, I guess.
The story is disappointing. I know they needed to make it PG but the only way this boy tries to "change" Dawn is with a couple of beauty tips. Putting aside the whole gaydar issue, this is totally unrealistic for a teen boy. And anyway, big friggin deal. That's supposed to be "controlling"? Whatever.
Inconsistencies abound. Dawn is supposed to be such AN INDIVIDUAL but not here, I guess. Also Travis is involved in a ton of extracurricular activities (half a dozen different sports plus debate and theater or something), but every time we see him after school he's earring shopping.
God, why do I read these? Oh yeah, the outfit descriptions. And reading online snark is pretty hilarious and gratifying, just Google the titles and look for snark and old BSC Livejournal groups.
ETA: I noticed the sentence about Sara's trendy "white cotton flight suit" was left out of the Norwegian translation altogether. 😆 Too weird, I guess.
May 16, 2019
A fun, light entry to the BSC series. It's funny how all the girls in the BSC always describe Dawn as being an individual and having so much "California cool" confidence, and yet she was so quick to change for a boy. Hahaha but at least she learns her lesson at the end, right guys?
November 28, 2012
Ugh. This book should have really been called "Dawn & The Pedophile". Seriously, this guy looks about 35 on the cover. He's supposed to be 16. O.o Okay, so the BSCers are at Kristy's McMansion, having a sleepover and trying out new hair and makeup styles. Stacey is fixing Mary Anne's hair and I don't know if I've said this before, but Stacey can be a real b-----. Mary Anne isn't crazy about it and Dawn says it looks nice, but she doesn't have to wear it that way every day. "She should. It's a big improvement," Stacey said flatly. Whoa. What's with that? I think her diabetes is (are?) making her cranky. Read my full review here!
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!
November 8, 2016
Dawn meets a boy who she thinks is perfect for her. Unfortunately, he is three years older, and not very interested in her as a so called individual. I read this book when I was nine or ten, and I loved it. It was full of the dating intrigue I was sure I would have when I turned thirteen.
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Dawn going out with Travis after school, and the way he ordered for her. This raised my hackles even as a little girl, especially since I understood Dawn's anxiety about needing to order vegetarian food. I also remember Dawn following Travis and his red-head date around like an idiot. I thought this was so stupid, but I enjoyed reading it for car-wreck reasons.
Mary Anne ratting Dawn out to her parents (because supposedly she can't lie) and then hanging around the kitchen while Dawn gets yelled at for going out with Travis. And then crying about it when Dawn confronts her. I hated Mary Anne in this book.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This is a surprisingly adult book, written in a way that makes grown-up dating issues accessible to young teens. In the first place Travis is perfectly written: self-confident, athletic, charming, and charismatic, which he uses to get out of unpleasant situations. I have dated so many guys, exactly like him. I actually get along with guys like him because I'm quiet, so I don't mind them talking non-stop, and I'm opinionated enough to call them out when they act like jerks. But it was a little hard to witness thirteen year old, whiny, insecure Dawn get bulldozed by Travis's confidence and brashness. She doesn't know enough to look him in the eye and say, "I don't want to cut my hair," or "I prefer to order for myself." And the fact that Travis just shows up wherever she is, and always has presents, or plans for her strikes me as stalker-ish behavior. He takes her out for food and shopping, and Dawn thinks they had a great time, and that Travis really likes her, only to find out that he takes another girl out on the same outing, and that he seems really into this pretty, well-dressed girl. This is very Sex and the City for the middle school set. (In this book the characters refer to this as "leading me on", in the real world this is called "the cycle of dating.") Unfortunately, Dawn probably has years of "Why didn't he call? I thought we had a good time" obsession ahead of her. The adult in me is a little sad knowing this.
Dawn decides to confront Travis about his behavior, first by following him and his new girlfriend around while they shop, which doesn't come off so well. Then she decides to call him on the phone, and tell him off. The twenty-one year old in me who let way too many guys get away with never calling me again applauds Dawn for standing up for herself, but the twenty-one year old in me who let guys get away with their shit knows that they truly do not understand or care why they hurt your feelings, and all the confrontation in the world will not change that. During Dawn's phone call Travis is completely taken aback by Dawn's anger and hurt. He can't understand why she's upset, because in his mind he just made some vague suggestions for her, and he can't believe she took it all so seriously. If Dawn were older and wiser she would have (hopefully) taken Travis's suggestions more casually, and she would have spoken up and told him that she didn't like this style, or she wanted to make sure she got vegetarian food, and that whole aspect of their relationship wouldn't have been such a big deal. If you imagine Travis and Dawn ten years older, and the issue on the table is not trying to make someone over to be a different person, but sex instead, then you have a similar confrontation, with Dawn upset because she slept with Travis, and then he took another girl out, and kissed her (and presumably more), and now he's not interested in her. And Travis would behave in a similar manner, acting completely bewildered about Dawn making such a big deal about it. It was just sex, they weren't in an exclusive relationship, so what's the big deal? Why is she so angry? Why doesn't Dawn want to see him again? After all, he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Reading this book as an adult actually made me feel more kindly toward the long-ago exes of my past.
Mary Anne is even more obnoxious than I remember her being in this book. She decides that Logan's cousin would be perfect for Dawn, so she goes about setting them up via snail mail (or the only kind of mail that was really available in the early 90s). Dawn is not so enthused about Lewis after her disaster with Travis, so she wants to take it kind of slow. However, Mary Anne pressures Dawn to agree to go on a date with him, even though she hasn't met him, and she has barely read his first letter. As the recipient of many fix-ups by my friends before I got married, I completely sympathized with Dawn. Why do friends come out of the woodwork with "the greatest guy" right after you break up with someone, and then act so annoying when you are reluctant to jump into something else right away?
Things I remember from reading this as a kid:
Dawn going out with Travis after school, and the way he ordered for her. This raised my hackles even as a little girl, especially since I understood Dawn's anxiety about needing to order vegetarian food. I also remember Dawn following Travis and his red-head date around like an idiot. I thought this was so stupid, but I enjoyed reading it for car-wreck reasons.
Mary Anne ratting Dawn out to her parents (because supposedly she can't lie) and then hanging around the kitchen while Dawn gets yelled at for going out with Travis. And then crying about it when Dawn confronts her. I hated Mary Anne in this book.
Things I've considered since reading this as an adult:
This is a surprisingly adult book, written in a way that makes grown-up dating issues accessible to young teens. In the first place Travis is perfectly written: self-confident, athletic, charming, and charismatic, which he uses to get out of unpleasant situations. I have dated so many guys, exactly like him. I actually get along with guys like him because I'm quiet, so I don't mind them talking non-stop, and I'm opinionated enough to call them out when they act like jerks. But it was a little hard to witness thirteen year old, whiny, insecure Dawn get bulldozed by Travis's confidence and brashness. She doesn't know enough to look him in the eye and say, "I don't want to cut my hair," or "I prefer to order for myself." And the fact that Travis just shows up wherever she is, and always has presents, or plans for her strikes me as stalker-ish behavior. He takes her out for food and shopping, and Dawn thinks they had a great time, and that Travis really likes her, only to find out that he takes another girl out on the same outing, and that he seems really into this pretty, well-dressed girl. This is very Sex and the City for the middle school set. (In this book the characters refer to this as "leading me on", in the real world this is called "the cycle of dating.") Unfortunately, Dawn probably has years of "Why didn't he call? I thought we had a good time" obsession ahead of her. The adult in me is a little sad knowing this.
Dawn decides to confront Travis about his behavior, first by following him and his new girlfriend around while they shop, which doesn't come off so well. Then she decides to call him on the phone, and tell him off. The twenty-one year old in me who let way too many guys get away with never calling me again applauds Dawn for standing up for herself, but the twenty-one year old in me who let guys get away with their shit knows that they truly do not understand or care why they hurt your feelings, and all the confrontation in the world will not change that. During Dawn's phone call Travis is completely taken aback by Dawn's anger and hurt. He can't understand why she's upset, because in his mind he just made some vague suggestions for her, and he can't believe she took it all so seriously. If Dawn were older and wiser she would have (hopefully) taken Travis's suggestions more casually, and she would have spoken up and told him that she didn't like this style, or she wanted to make sure she got vegetarian food, and that whole aspect of their relationship wouldn't have been such a big deal. If you imagine Travis and Dawn ten years older, and the issue on the table is not trying to make someone over to be a different person, but sex instead, then you have a similar confrontation, with Dawn upset because she slept with Travis, and then he took another girl out, and kissed her (and presumably more), and now he's not interested in her. And Travis would behave in a similar manner, acting completely bewildered about Dawn making such a big deal about it. It was just sex, they weren't in an exclusive relationship, so what's the big deal? Why is she so angry? Why doesn't Dawn want to see him again? After all, he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Reading this book as an adult actually made me feel more kindly toward the long-ago exes of my past.
Mary Anne is even more obnoxious than I remember her being in this book. She decides that Logan's cousin would be perfect for Dawn, so she goes about setting them up via snail mail (or the only kind of mail that was really available in the early 90s). Dawn is not so enthused about Lewis after her disaster with Travis, so she wants to take it kind of slow. However, Mary Anne pressures Dawn to agree to go on a date with him, even though she hasn't met him, and she has barely read his first letter. As the recipient of many fix-ups by my friends before I got married, I completely sympathized with Dawn. Why do friends come out of the woodwork with "the greatest guy" right after you break up with someone, and then act so annoying when you are reluctant to jump into something else right away?
March 25, 2023
Ahh right. Reading this book the first time was the moment I decided all boys named Travis were creeps.
TBH I haven't been proven wrong on that front, so I stand by that sentiment.
This is one of the entries in this series that does a good job with the message it's conveying. To wit: Boys suck ass. Okay, maybe it's more like some boys suck ass and if they do, they don't deserve your time or attention. I can recall in painful detail being a 13 year old girl and desperate for male attention (something that made me laugh by my late 20s when "male attention" was the last thing I wanted) and easily falling under the sway of any cute boy who looked your way. Dawn is usually a confident girl in these books, but a 16 year old guy is definitely enough to poke holes in a middle-schooler's sense of self. I appreciated the book making it clear that the way Travis behaved toward her--talking over her, showing little interest in her beyond a sounding board for talking about himself, bringing her presents the first time they hang out, being pushy with her about how she should dress or wear her hair--was all totally creepy and inappropriate. (Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Travis grew up to be fruity, because what straight teen boy tells a girl to cut her hair "to give it more lift", LOL.) (I can call him fruity because I'm fruity.) And I liked seeing Dawn come to that realization, especially once she realizes he's also seeing a girl his own age, and telling him off for trying to change her and not really caring about her.
I will say that the conversation is a little dramatic, because they'd only hung out a couple of times and Dawn was like "I was changing everything about myself for you" and blah blah. But at the same time, 13 year olds are dramatic and over the top about their emotions, especially crushes and such, and I'm sure I probably said similar shit at that age. But it was the general message of that conversation that was important for the young readers the series is aimed at: Someone who doesn't listen to you and tries to change you, even in small ways, is not someone you should be giving your time and presence to.
I wish that we'd had a little more interactions between them first, though, to give it more heft. They easily could've cut out the babysitting chapter with Kristy and her siblings--especially because that would have meant no mention of Morbidda Destiny. (The worst thing about the older girls remaining 13 forever is that Karen also never ages and thus never shuts the fuck up about Morbidda Destiny.) But I do like the central message here. And also, Travises are creeps.
TBH I haven't been proven wrong on that front, so I stand by that sentiment.
This is one of the entries in this series that does a good job with the message it's conveying. To wit: Boys suck ass. Okay, maybe it's more like some boys suck ass and if they do, they don't deserve your time or attention. I can recall in painful detail being a 13 year old girl and desperate for male attention (something that made me laugh by my late 20s when "male attention" was the last thing I wanted) and easily falling under the sway of any cute boy who looked your way. Dawn is usually a confident girl in these books, but a 16 year old guy is definitely enough to poke holes in a middle-schooler's sense of self. I appreciated the book making it clear that the way Travis behaved toward her--talking over her, showing little interest in her beyond a sounding board for talking about himself, bringing her presents the first time they hang out, being pushy with her about how she should dress or wear her hair--was all totally creepy and inappropriate. (Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Travis grew up to be fruity, because what straight teen boy tells a girl to cut her hair "to give it more lift", LOL.) (I can call him fruity because I'm fruity.) And I liked seeing Dawn come to that realization, especially once she realizes he's also seeing a girl his own age, and telling him off for trying to change her and not really caring about her.
I will say that the conversation is a little dramatic, because they'd only hung out a couple of times and Dawn was like "I was changing everything about myself for you" and blah blah. But at the same time, 13 year olds are dramatic and over the top about their emotions, especially crushes and such, and I'm sure I probably said similar shit at that age. But it was the general message of that conversation that was important for the young readers the series is aimed at: Someone who doesn't listen to you and tries to change you, even in small ways, is not someone you should be giving your time and presence to.
I wish that we'd had a little more interactions between them first, though, to give it more heft. They easily could've cut out the babysitting chapter with Kristy and her siblings--especially because that would have meant no mention of Morbidda Destiny. (The worst thing about the older girls remaining 13 forever is that Karen also never ages and thus never shuts the fuck up about Morbidda Destiny.) But I do like the central message here. And also, Travises are creeps.
April 23, 2013
So, having an "OMG BOYS!" title, I was instantly poised to dislike this book, as a teen girl who never had an interest in dating. And it lived up to my preemptive disappointment by being full of rage moments. Dawn is only thirteen but gets a crush on a sixteen-year-old boy, and he's a total jerk but she can't see that because she's too busy mooing and doing whatever he tells her to do. Seriously, the guy had scumbag written all over him: he insisted on ordering for her at a restaurant, he kept telling her what she should do with her appearance, and he isn't interested in talking together. He just wants to ramble about himself.
This guy was almost unrealistically jerky (though guys like this exist); the thing I didn't understand was what Dawn saw in him besides him apparently being cute. Because, see, she seemed to think they were soulmates and all they appeared to have in common is that they had spent some time in California and liked the beach. How many jackasses write "I love long walks on the beach!" in their dating site profile now? Might as well talk about how cool and laid-back you are, that you like the idea of kissing in the rain, or that you like to have fun. Fun? I hate fun!
I don't really remember the parallel subplot very well. There's always one of these by this point in the series, and I think it had something to do with the Australian kids and someone advising one of them to act less Australian to help with his acting skills? The whole "don't change for other people" message was what they were going for, I guess. But anyway, it always bothered me that the babysitters turned into simpering jerks whenever boys were involved. Even though they "learned their lesson" at the end of each episodic book, they were all poised to become empty-headed Crush-Bots in the next book. It got tiresome.
This guy was almost unrealistically jerky (though guys like this exist); the thing I didn't understand was what Dawn saw in him besides him apparently being cute. Because, see, she seemed to think they were soulmates and all they appeared to have in common is that they had spent some time in California and liked the beach. How many jackasses write "I love long walks on the beach!" in their dating site profile now? Might as well talk about how cool and laid-back you are, that you like the idea of kissing in the rain, or that you like to have fun. Fun? I hate fun!
I don't really remember the parallel subplot very well. There's always one of these by this point in the series, and I think it had something to do with the Australian kids and someone advising one of them to act less Australian to help with his acting skills? The whole "don't change for other people" message was what they were going for, I guess. But anyway, it always bothered me that the babysitters turned into simpering jerks whenever boys were involved. Even though they "learned their lesson" at the end of each episodic book, they were all poised to become empty-headed Crush-Bots in the next book. It got tiresome.
October 24, 2023
I’ll say this: this is the most interesting Dawn has ever been in her fictional life!
Which isn’t saying a ton, as I think she’s about as interesting as that unseasoned tofu she’s ALWAYS yapping about, so take that with a grain of salt substitute.
Basically, Dawn meets Travis at Kristy’s house one day, as Travis is friends with Kristy’s older brothers (can we get a book JUST about Sam and Charlie one of these days?!), and falls hard. He’s from California, he’s hot, and he also likes granola!!! (I know I’m years too late on this one, but could someone please tell Ann Martin diet does not a personality make?)
Then he shows up at her house and after school, giving her gifts and encouraging her to cut her hair, to wear it a certain way, to get her ears pierced.
Then Dawn finds out he’s seeing another girl and follows him around like a loon to make sure.
One of the best thing about re-reading these books as an adult is having access to the vocabulary I didn’t have as a kid to describe story elements that freaked me out.
Like how Travis is a predator and how, at 16, he’s grooming 13-year-old Dawn. That’s not what the text explicitly states, but it’s there.
Martin knows it, too. At the end she has Dawn call Travis. I cringed, reading it, thinking it might be cooler of Dawn to just move on, but Dawn goes IN. She tells him—step-by-step—all the ways he diminished her and made her question her self worth. And when he gaslights her about it, which he totally does (“you’re making too much of this”), she doesn’t stand for it, and it’s surprisingly empowering to read.
Way to go, Dawn.
Which isn’t saying a ton, as I think she’s about as interesting as that unseasoned tofu she’s ALWAYS yapping about, so take that with a grain of salt substitute.
Basically, Dawn meets Travis at Kristy’s house one day, as Travis is friends with Kristy’s older brothers (can we get a book JUST about Sam and Charlie one of these days?!), and falls hard. He’s from California, he’s hot, and he also likes granola!!! (I know I’m years too late on this one, but could someone please tell Ann Martin diet does not a personality make?)
Then he shows up at her house and after school, giving her gifts and encouraging her to cut her hair, to wear it a certain way, to get her ears pierced.
Then Dawn finds out he’s seeing another girl and follows him around like a loon to make sure.
One of the best thing about re-reading these books as an adult is having access to the vocabulary I didn’t have as a kid to describe story elements that freaked me out.
Like how Travis is a predator and how, at 16, he’s grooming 13-year-old Dawn. That’s not what the text explicitly states, but it’s there.
Martin knows it, too. At the end she has Dawn call Travis. I cringed, reading it, thinking it might be cooler of Dawn to just move on, but Dawn goes IN. She tells him—step-by-step—all the ways he diminished her and made her question her self worth. And when he gaslights her about it, which he totally does (“you’re making too much of this”), she doesn’t stand for it, and it’s surprisingly empowering to read.
Way to go, Dawn.
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June 6, 2024Dawn and the Older Boy
The BSC members are having a slumber party and giving each other new looks. We see that Dawn’s color isn’t orange (in lipstick) and Maryanne looks good in a “trailing style down her back with a cloud of curls” but she’s not comfortable wearing it this way. Stacey gets dizzy from “too much hairspray”. (She’s been feeling off now for a bunch of books). The next day,
Maryanne wakes them all up the next morning and tells them they should go down stairs for breakfast. They do-as is- (not taking time to remove the old makeup, wash up, or fix their hair)). As soon as they do, they see a gorgeous guy. Sam and Charlie introduce him as Travis. Dawn notices he’s eating granola-after she can get some words out- and finds out he’s from California. Claudia makes an excuse for them to get out of there-they let there electric hair curlers plugged in-. But when they return at lunchm he’s still there. Sam tells him he and Dawn have something in common. They are both from California. He compliments her on what she’s wearing and ells her she should always wear blue (it brings out her eyes).
On the way home, Dawn asks Maryanne does she believe in love at first sight and she says yes. She thinks their parents loved each other at first sight. Then she asks what she thinks of Travis. Maryanne tris to warn her not to get too interested because he’s in high school, but Dawn has already decided there’s no one else for her and that Travis is “the one”.
At a BSC meeting, Dawn tries to work a mention of Travis into conversation so she can see if he’s been back at Krsity’s (or mentioned her). Kristy says she doesn’t know. There were a bunch of guys over. Then she gets back to business. The Hobarts mom calls and asks for a sitter for the three younger boys since Ben will be taking Mal to a movie. When they tease her Mal says it’s not really “going out”. It’s just a movie. Dawn thinks of Travis and wishes he’d ask her out to a movie. She wouldn’t even mind calling it “going out.” Jessi is given the job.
Dawn and Maryanne are out raking leaves when Travis pulls up. Maryanne leaves them alone to talk. After some awkward talk about how nice his car is and how he keeps it clean (three coats of wax and throurly drying it), they move on to the subjects of school. (He likes SHS and has been asked to join five clubs, The Pep Club, the Drama Club, the Latin Club to name a few). He’s also been asked to join the football and basketball tea, by the Coaches. Travis has brought Dawn presents (a blue beat necklace to match her eyes and blue combs). The combs he says are because he saw someone with her hair pulled back and he wants Dawn to try the style. The necklace is because he saw it and thought of her. Immediately after he leaves Dawn goes to Maryanne to ask her to help her trim her hair like Travis suggested.
At Jessi’s sitting job, the Hobart boys and the Perkin’s girls decide to put on a play. It’s about a dog (Chewbacca) that gets lost at the mall. While they’re rehearsting it Zack comes by and after watching it for a little calls it dumb, Then he starts to give James a hard time because 1) he wrote it 2 not only does he hang out with Susan Fielder-a loster- he hangs out with girls and 3 he says “mum”. James just says he’s jealous that he can’t act. Zack says iif he’s going to be American he has to stop hanging around girls and start hanging out with him -and his friends- James doesn’t pay him any attention , lets him leave, and then continues on with his play. Jessi is proud of him.
Trevor shows up at (I think SMS or either while they’re walking home from school) and offers Dawn a ride. She thinks about calling her mom but decides against i-not wanting to look babyish-. She and Travis go to a store and pick out a compass for his birthday. Then they go to t burger joint. Travis orders for her-which Dawn isn’t crazy about- but luckily he orders grilled cheese sandwiches-She’s ok with this. He tells her about his day. He went out for track and made some “amazing” play while playing football. Dawn listens like it’s the most fascinating thing she’s ever heard. After this he takes her to “Merry Go Round”. He’s picked out a silver pair or butterfly earrings for her and tries to pressure her to get another hole but she doesn’t. He still gets her the earrings tho. When she gets home, she gets the third degree from her mom and Richard about going out with a sixteen year old who can drive.
Richard and Sharon start to argue about whether Dawn should see Travis. They don’t like it that he gave her gifts and he doesn’t even know her. Sharon thinks she should be able to see him after they meet hi,. Richard doesn’t think she should see him at all. Dawn goes to confront Maryanne while they argue but knows that Maryanne couldn’t have lied so she forgives her quickly. The incident isn’t mentioned anymore when they go down to dinner.
Kristy sits for her siblings and they all play camping. First Karen has to check the “tent” for “Bears”. While David Micheal sets up a morse code alert (with fake teeth). After Karen declares it’s safe. They all go in but cautiously because a jar of honey indicates a bear was there. Then there’s an earth quake and Andrew is sent to find David Micheal, but he hides from them. Karen thinks Morbidda Destiny has him. Even when they find him she thinks he was told to tell them that (that he was hiding by Morbidda Destiny).
Dawn is now watching the Hobarts and the Perkins girls. They’re still working on the play James wrote. Only Matthew gets bored with it before it even starts and starts playing music. He’s appeased when they tell him he can listen to music on his headphones as long as he doesn’t miss his cue. Zack comes by. Same scenario as before. Only this time James lets him talk him into going with him because he says the other kids still think he’s weird. So, he leaves with Zack to go play football, watch a horror movie, and work on his speech. This frustrates and disappointes Dawn because she doesn’t see why James is letting Zack get in his head. He’s great the way he is.
While they’re at a meeting, they all get to talking abut Jackie and then Kristy mentions a certain life guard that’s been seeing Travis Dawn tells Maryanne later it doesn’t make sense. Maryanne says it’s not like they were dating and she’s probably closer to his age. Dawn wonders then why he was paying her so much attention. YESS! Maryanne says maybe he likes them both. So, Dawn waits until after school, goes to SHS, sees them together, and decides to follow them. Dawn follows them to “Burger Bite”. The same place he took her. He orders for the girl. Same as he did her. (This girl is the captain of the swim team at SHS btw). Then he takes her to “Marry Go Round”. Then to the park (where they kiss). Then to a movie. By this time Dawn’s seen enough. She wonders what this girl has that she doesn’t. (Even though she admits she’s gorgeus and dresses like Claudia and Stacey).
Everything ends up coming out at the next BSC meeting. Claudia and Stacey think he’s a rat for letting her believe he liked her AGREED! They say that he took her to the mall, bought her gifts, and picked her up counted as “a date” (or rather showing interest). Maryanne says she knows someone better. His name is Lewis. He’s Dawn’s age and he’s Logan’s cousin. Most importantly he doesn’t have a girlfriend. But Dawn isn’t interested. She wants Travis.
The play goes well despite Chewy’s antics. It’s not as “serious” as James hoped the audience would take it, but it gets a lot of laughs. A lot of people want to talk to James about it afterwards but Zack comes to the play and tries to persuade him to come with him again. Maryanne decides to take this opportunity to show Dawn something. Dawn meanwhile decides to let Travis know she’s on to him. So, she follows him again. So she sees him with Sarah. (IT HAD TO BE SARAH DIDN’T IT?) Again he takes her to the “Merry Go Round” and when he comes face to face with Dawn he doesn’t even act phased. Sarah refers to her as “the little girl he was trying to turn into a beauty.” Dawn tells her cooly she already was before leaving. Later, Maryanne points out the similarites to “My Fair Lady” and Eliza Dolittle. Dawn sees it. She was just a project for him. Maryanne says she should confront him (and read the club notebook).
So, Dawn decides to call him. She tries to tell him how he made her feel when he tried to change her and didn’t appreciate who she was, but he doesn’t get it and said “it was just a few suggestions”. He thinks she’s making a big deal over nothing. He doesn’t even seem to get why she’s upset over making her feel like she was special but he was seeing someone else. So she ends up telling him goodbye and haning up. Her friends are proud of her. She says she should have told him to cut his hair and get some new jeans (he always wore stone washed). Stacey says it wouldn’t have mattered because he thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Later, Maryanne tells Dawn she told Lewis about her and he’ll be coming to visit soon. She’s shown him her picture and told him a little about her and he’s interested. She asks Dawn will she see him and after looking at his picture and scanning his letter she says yes, but just “As a friend”
Dan and Lewis exchange letters back and forth and it seems like she’s getting interested, but tells Maryanne she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. Still, she wonders….
My Thoughts
It just AMAZES me that males (older and younger) don’t get … Ok so there was this lady and to make a long story short she ended up going to cardiac rehab because she had to have a procedure done because she had to get a stint-because they found bloackages-. This lady was NOT thinking about getting close to ANYONE PERIOD! She was as far from removed to feelings as a person can possibly get. So the first day of the orientation she saw this guy with the rest of the (lets call them trainers-nurses). Saw him. Didn’t see him. She was just there to get through the 18 sessions she had to take.
But then the guy started to act *familiar*, She noticed it the first time she called to set up a session. The tone of his voice wasn’t just friendly. No! It was one that spoke of oh we’ve known each other for years. It was too comfortable. He started to refer to her mother as “Mom”. He started to act like he cared about her dad -who was there at the hospital at the time-. He started to do things that got inside the lady’s head like when she’d done the excerscises he didn’t think she’d do, he’d jump up and say “That’s my girl!” He’d compliment what she wore “I love that pink hoodie.” He do things that got to her like if the room was cold-which the room was ALWAYS cold- and there would be other people in the room other than her and she said she was cold he’d jump right up and turn the heater off. This guy even got in her DREAMS and going to the class begin to give her slight anxiety. Don’t get my wrong she was really loving all the attention but she kept thinking Ok should I say something to further this. And thinking I wish he’d say something (to further this). She kept thinking of how she’d love to elaborate on the brief snippets of conversations they’d start before she had to start excersing and it messed her up because she REALLY felt like they had a vibe. Then she started to notice how attractive he was and how closely in looks he resembled a actor she once was really taken with.
And the lady knew that she didn’t have long. This guy even referred to her as "baby" during a session. The class only lasted a couple of months.But the decision was made for her. Irnonically there was a Sarah. This one worked at the reception desk and answered the phones and arranged this if you couldn’t come on a certain day. So through what the lady could ony call divine intervention that saved her from making a fool out of herself she found out that YES. Sarah and that guy were dating. Then why the hell did he do all that stuff? And up until the last day he was still clueless and being a little too extra but the magic had by then worn off for the lady. And that just does not make ANY sense to me, WHY do they try to get in another girl’s head if they KNOW they are already talking to someone. It’s like they don’t have not a single THOUGHT that this might not be cool to either your girlfriend or the other girl. Then no one wins in this situation. Do you wanna know why?
The other girl is left with the reside of something she never even asked for or wanted in the first place. The good thing is it "dissolves" pretty quickly as time goes by. It might look like on the outside looking in that the "Sarah's" won but think about it. Did they really win? The one the lady knew was extremely insecure and always seemed to be lingering around the guy. Is he really YOURS if he's making other girls feel like he's into the and you have to cling to him that tightly? No, because they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong! SMH REALLY?
A lot of times in books “magically” after this happens the right one just “appears” but IRL not so much. And then life just does NOT need to mess with people like this! I was proud of Dawn for telling Travis off. It didn’t do any good but someone needs to let guys like this know the damage they do.
Rating: 7 So the moral of this is just go with that little voice in the back of your head that warns you about people like this. Sometimes it will be cloudy but there will always be something kind of nagging at you or making you hesitate. And like the song said just don't trust (a nice body) and a smile! Well that's not "exactly" what it said but you get the idea.
The BSC members are having a slumber party and giving each other new looks. We see that Dawn’s color isn’t orange (in lipstick) and Maryanne looks good in a “trailing style down her back with a cloud of curls” but she’s not comfortable wearing it this way. Stacey gets dizzy from “too much hairspray”. (She’s been feeling off now for a bunch of books). The next day,
Maryanne wakes them all up the next morning and tells them they should go down stairs for breakfast. They do-as is- (not taking time to remove the old makeup, wash up, or fix their hair)). As soon as they do, they see a gorgeous guy. Sam and Charlie introduce him as Travis. Dawn notices he’s eating granola-after she can get some words out- and finds out he’s from California. Claudia makes an excuse for them to get out of there-they let there electric hair curlers plugged in-. But when they return at lunchm he’s still there. Sam tells him he and Dawn have something in common. They are both from California. He compliments her on what she’s wearing and ells her she should always wear blue (it brings out her eyes).
On the way home, Dawn asks Maryanne does she believe in love at first sight and she says yes. She thinks their parents loved each other at first sight. Then she asks what she thinks of Travis. Maryanne tris to warn her not to get too interested because he’s in high school, but Dawn has already decided there’s no one else for her and that Travis is “the one”.
At a BSC meeting, Dawn tries to work a mention of Travis into conversation so she can see if he’s been back at Krsity’s (or mentioned her). Kristy says she doesn’t know. There were a bunch of guys over. Then she gets back to business. The Hobarts mom calls and asks for a sitter for the three younger boys since Ben will be taking Mal to a movie. When they tease her Mal says it’s not really “going out”. It’s just a movie. Dawn thinks of Travis and wishes he’d ask her out to a movie. She wouldn’t even mind calling it “going out.” Jessi is given the job.
Dawn and Maryanne are out raking leaves when Travis pulls up. Maryanne leaves them alone to talk. After some awkward talk about how nice his car is and how he keeps it clean (three coats of wax and throurly drying it), they move on to the subjects of school. (He likes SHS and has been asked to join five clubs, The Pep Club, the Drama Club, the Latin Club to name a few). He’s also been asked to join the football and basketball tea, by the Coaches. Travis has brought Dawn presents (a blue beat necklace to match her eyes and blue combs). The combs he says are because he saw someone with her hair pulled back and he wants Dawn to try the style. The necklace is because he saw it and thought of her. Immediately after he leaves Dawn goes to Maryanne to ask her to help her trim her hair like Travis suggested.
At Jessi’s sitting job, the Hobart boys and the Perkin’s girls decide to put on a play. It’s about a dog (Chewbacca) that gets lost at the mall. While they’re rehearsting it Zack comes by and after watching it for a little calls it dumb, Then he starts to give James a hard time because 1) he wrote it 2 not only does he hang out with Susan Fielder-a loster- he hangs out with girls and 3 he says “mum”. James just says he’s jealous that he can’t act. Zack says iif he’s going to be American he has to stop hanging around girls and start hanging out with him -and his friends- James doesn’t pay him any attention , lets him leave, and then continues on with his play. Jessi is proud of him.
Trevor shows up at (I think SMS or either while they’re walking home from school) and offers Dawn a ride. She thinks about calling her mom but decides against i-not wanting to look babyish-. She and Travis go to a store and pick out a compass for his birthday. Then they go to t burger joint. Travis orders for her-which Dawn isn’t crazy about- but luckily he orders grilled cheese sandwiches-She’s ok with this. He tells her about his day. He went out for track and made some “amazing” play while playing football. Dawn listens like it’s the most fascinating thing she’s ever heard. After this he takes her to “Merry Go Round”. He’s picked out a silver pair or butterfly earrings for her and tries to pressure her to get another hole but she doesn’t. He still gets her the earrings tho. When she gets home, she gets the third degree from her mom and Richard about going out with a sixteen year old who can drive.
Richard and Sharon start to argue about whether Dawn should see Travis. They don’t like it that he gave her gifts and he doesn’t even know her. Sharon thinks she should be able to see him after they meet hi,. Richard doesn’t think she should see him at all. Dawn goes to confront Maryanne while they argue but knows that Maryanne couldn’t have lied so she forgives her quickly. The incident isn’t mentioned anymore when they go down to dinner.
Kristy sits for her siblings and they all play camping. First Karen has to check the “tent” for “Bears”. While David Micheal sets up a morse code alert (with fake teeth). After Karen declares it’s safe. They all go in but cautiously because a jar of honey indicates a bear was there. Then there’s an earth quake and Andrew is sent to find David Micheal, but he hides from them. Karen thinks Morbidda Destiny has him. Even when they find him she thinks he was told to tell them that (that he was hiding by Morbidda Destiny).
Dawn is now watching the Hobarts and the Perkins girls. They’re still working on the play James wrote. Only Matthew gets bored with it before it even starts and starts playing music. He’s appeased when they tell him he can listen to music on his headphones as long as he doesn’t miss his cue. Zack comes by. Same scenario as before. Only this time James lets him talk him into going with him because he says the other kids still think he’s weird. So, he leaves with Zack to go play football, watch a horror movie, and work on his speech. This frustrates and disappointes Dawn because she doesn’t see why James is letting Zack get in his head. He’s great the way he is.
While they’re at a meeting, they all get to talking abut Jackie and then Kristy mentions a certain life guard that’s been seeing Travis Dawn tells Maryanne later it doesn’t make sense. Maryanne says it’s not like they were dating and she’s probably closer to his age. Dawn wonders then why he was paying her so much attention. YESS! Maryanne says maybe he likes them both. So, Dawn waits until after school, goes to SHS, sees them together, and decides to follow them. Dawn follows them to “Burger Bite”. The same place he took her. He orders for the girl. Same as he did her. (This girl is the captain of the swim team at SHS btw). Then he takes her to “Marry Go Round”. Then to the park (where they kiss). Then to a movie. By this time Dawn’s seen enough. She wonders what this girl has that she doesn’t. (Even though she admits she’s gorgeus and dresses like Claudia and Stacey).
Everything ends up coming out at the next BSC meeting. Claudia and Stacey think he’s a rat for letting her believe he liked her AGREED! They say that he took her to the mall, bought her gifts, and picked her up counted as “a date” (or rather showing interest). Maryanne says she knows someone better. His name is Lewis. He’s Dawn’s age and he’s Logan’s cousin. Most importantly he doesn’t have a girlfriend. But Dawn isn’t interested. She wants Travis.
The play goes well despite Chewy’s antics. It’s not as “serious” as James hoped the audience would take it, but it gets a lot of laughs. A lot of people want to talk to James about it afterwards but Zack comes to the play and tries to persuade him to come with him again. Maryanne decides to take this opportunity to show Dawn something. Dawn meanwhile decides to let Travis know she’s on to him. So, she follows him again. So she sees him with Sarah. (IT HAD TO BE SARAH DIDN’T IT?) Again he takes her to the “Merry Go Round” and when he comes face to face with Dawn he doesn’t even act phased. Sarah refers to her as “the little girl he was trying to turn into a beauty.” Dawn tells her cooly she already was before leaving. Later, Maryanne points out the similarites to “My Fair Lady” and Eliza Dolittle. Dawn sees it. She was just a project for him. Maryanne says she should confront him (and read the club notebook).
So, Dawn decides to call him. She tries to tell him how he made her feel when he tried to change her and didn’t appreciate who she was, but he doesn’t get it and said “it was just a few suggestions”. He thinks she’s making a big deal over nothing. He doesn’t even seem to get why she’s upset over making her feel like she was special but he was seeing someone else. So she ends up telling him goodbye and haning up. Her friends are proud of her. She says she should have told him to cut his hair and get some new jeans (he always wore stone washed). Stacey says it wouldn’t have mattered because he thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Later, Maryanne tells Dawn she told Lewis about her and he’ll be coming to visit soon. She’s shown him her picture and told him a little about her and he’s interested. She asks Dawn will she see him and after looking at his picture and scanning his letter she says yes, but just “As a friend”
Dan and Lewis exchange letters back and forth and it seems like she’s getting interested, but tells Maryanne she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. Still, she wonders….
My Thoughts
It just AMAZES me that males (older and younger) don’t get … Ok so there was this lady and to make a long story short she ended up going to cardiac rehab because she had to have a procedure done because she had to get a stint-because they found bloackages-. This lady was NOT thinking about getting close to ANYONE PERIOD! She was as far from removed to feelings as a person can possibly get. So the first day of the orientation she saw this guy with the rest of the (lets call them trainers-nurses). Saw him. Didn’t see him. She was just there to get through the 18 sessions she had to take.
But then the guy started to act *familiar*, She noticed it the first time she called to set up a session. The tone of his voice wasn’t just friendly. No! It was one that spoke of oh we’ve known each other for years. It was too comfortable. He started to refer to her mother as “Mom”. He started to act like he cared about her dad -who was there at the hospital at the time-. He started to do things that got inside the lady’s head like when she’d done the excerscises he didn’t think she’d do, he’d jump up and say “That’s my girl!” He’d compliment what she wore “I love that pink hoodie.” He do things that got to her like if the room was cold-which the room was ALWAYS cold- and there would be other people in the room other than her and she said she was cold he’d jump right up and turn the heater off. This guy even got in her DREAMS and going to the class begin to give her slight anxiety. Don’t get my wrong she was really loving all the attention but she kept thinking Ok should I say something to further this. And thinking I wish he’d say something (to further this). She kept thinking of how she’d love to elaborate on the brief snippets of conversations they’d start before she had to start excersing and it messed her up because she REALLY felt like they had a vibe. Then she started to notice how attractive he was and how closely in looks he resembled a actor she once was really taken with.
And the lady knew that she didn’t have long. This guy even referred to her as "baby" during a session. The class only lasted a couple of months.But the decision was made for her. Irnonically there was a Sarah. This one worked at the reception desk and answered the phones and arranged this if you couldn’t come on a certain day. So through what the lady could ony call divine intervention that saved her from making a fool out of herself she found out that YES. Sarah and that guy were dating. Then why the hell did he do all that stuff? And up until the last day he was still clueless and being a little too extra but the magic had by then worn off for the lady. And that just does not make ANY sense to me, WHY do they try to get in another girl’s head if they KNOW they are already talking to someone. It’s like they don’t have not a single THOUGHT that this might not be cool to either your girlfriend or the other girl. Then no one wins in this situation. Do you wanna know why?
The other girl is left with the reside of something she never even asked for or wanted in the first place. The good thing is it "dissolves" pretty quickly as time goes by. It might look like on the outside looking in that the "Sarah's" won but think about it. Did they really win? The one the lady knew was extremely insecure and always seemed to be lingering around the guy. Is he really YOURS if he's making other girls feel like he's into the and you have to cling to him that tightly? No, because they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong! SMH REALLY?
A lot of times in books “magically” after this happens the right one just “appears” but IRL not so much. And then life just does NOT need to mess with people like this! I was proud of Dawn for telling Travis off. It didn’t do any good but someone needs to let guys like this know the damage they do.
Rating: 7 So the moral of this is just go with that little voice in the back of your head that warns you about people like this. Sometimes it will be cloudy but there will always be something kind of nagging at you or making you hesitate. And like the song said just don't trust (a nice body) and a smile! Well that's not "exactly" what it said but you get the idea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
There’s a new boy in town. When Dawn and the gang have a sleepover at Kristys house they are surprised by who they find downstairs. A cute older boy! 16 to be exact. At just 13, all the girls are amazed at how cute he is. His name is Travis and he immediately is attracted to Dawn. Over the course of a few weeks they Hang our together. He seems so nice, he buys her things. He takes her out to eat....and orders for her. He loves her hair....but suggests new styles it would be cuter. He has a lot of opinions on ways to make Dawn better...I loved the message behind this story and as always, the nastolgia is real when reading my beloved babysitters books
October 6, 2025
Dawn's stories are kind of hit-and-miss for me - that's definitely the case here because I found her narration annoying, but I do think the story has a really important message about controlling relationships.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
April 11, 2023
Whoa. This is DARK. But it's not even really examined. The message is just "don't change yourself for someone else." Which is great. Particularly in the context of a romantic relationship. But wtf is going on with Travis?? That part is what should really be put under the microscope, definitely not normalized!
February 8, 2016
When I was in my homeland, I used to love "sweet valley high". And when I fist came to America, I read any "sweet valley high" and "babysitter club" books that I can find/ afford. You see I was trying to improve my English, but do not bore myself to death with amazingly dull English text books. I adored these series. It was so much fun! I lived on ramen noodles and teen books like these. Good times.
So when I saw a copy of the book under available library Ebooks. I got excited, it was just like old times right? I have good time and don't worry about "what does the writer want to say".
I couldn't do it. As my appetite evolved from Ramen noodles to a well done steak; my book choices has gained some quality over the years as well. I will leave these series to my kids in the future. I will let their love struck innocent eyes gaze over the teenage books. Bring on the big guns to me.
So when I saw a copy of the book under available library Ebooks. I got excited, it was just like old times right? I have good time and don't worry about "what does the writer want to say".
I couldn't do it. As my appetite evolved from Ramen noodles to a well done steak; my book choices has gained some quality over the years as well. I will leave these series to my kids in the future. I will let their love struck innocent eyes gaze over the teenage books. Bring on the big guns to me.
November 26, 2021
This book is the poster child for cautionary tales. Literally, everything in the story is set like an after-school special. I gave it five stars for the simple absurdity of it all. Dawn has never been my favorite character and this book solidified that for me. Not only does she fall for a 16 year old at the ripe age of 13, but she literally is being mentally manipulated by this kid! He wants her to change elements about herself and at the end his GIRLFRIEND tells her that he was just giving her a makeover for boys her age…..ummmmm 🤔
This book is a great way to address the controlling issues that boys can have over girls and the ability to be yourself even if you like a boy but man I was not expecting this. Great re-read and it flowed very nicely.
This book is a great way to address the controlling issues that boys can have over girls and the ability to be yourself even if you like a boy but man I was not expecting this. Great re-read and it flowed very nicely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2020
So my main problem with this book is that the lesson it’s trying to teach isn’t done well. The message is supposed to be “don’t change yourself for anyone, you’re great the way you are.” But Dawn doesn’t really change herself for this guy, she just kind of gets controlled by him. As an adult reading this book, it’s really bordering on a toxic or even abusive relationship. I mean... it’s not a bad idea for kids who are starting to date to learn the warning signs for that kind of relationship, but I think the resolution would need to be framed differently than it is here in order to be an effective lesson.
November 3, 2009
Dawn - what an individual! Of course she'd do something different like go after an older boy... a HIGH SCHOOLER! Of course this means hanging out in diners wearing his varsity jacket... surrounded by screaming children? And what's this about Travis CHEATING ON HER? This is about as racy as the BSC gets, folks.
July 4, 2022
it giving predator
April 13, 2024
I decided to reread all the books I still have from my childhood before I decided if I was going to keep them. This is the first one I've read and well... It happened.
The story was basically Dawn is from California, this guy just moved from California. They "like" each other.
THE ONLY PROBLEM HE IS 16! He has a friggen car Dawn you are in middle school. That is not ok. Also, he is a walking red flag.
Anyway, he ends up "cheating" (not really but whatever). Anyway, the moral of the story wasn't that Dawn could love herself with some guy, it's that Travis was a jerk and she just needed a nicer guy.
Oh, also there was a play.
Anyway, this was a weird book and I don't know why I was head over heels for it when I was younger. Actually, I do because it was actually entertaining at times for some reason.
I am not sad to say goodbye to this book, but am hopeful that the rest of this series won't be so messed up (I did love them as a kid.)
The story was basically Dawn is from California, this guy just moved from California. They "like" each other.
THE ONLY PROBLEM HE IS 16! He has a friggen car Dawn you are in middle school. That is not ok. Also, he is a walking red flag.
Anyway, he ends up "cheating" (not really but whatever). Anyway, the moral of the story wasn't that Dawn could love herself with some guy, it's that Travis was a jerk and she just needed a nicer guy.
Oh, also there was a play.
Anyway, this was a weird book and I don't know why I was head over heels for it when I was younger. Actually, I do because it was actually entertaining at times for some reason.
I am not sad to say goodbye to this book, but am hopeful that the rest of this series won't be so messed up (I did love them as a kid.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2025
This book didn't really make sense to me. First of all they went on ONE date and Dawn herself actually admitted that she didn't make all the changes that Travis told her to make so it didn't really make sense when Mary-Anne accused her of completely changing herself to suit Travis. Then Dawn rings him up and tells him off for changing her and he was so confused, which is right because she could have been upfront with him in the first place, she didn't compeletly change herself (or did I miss something) and they weren't even officially going out so none of it mattered anyway! Plus Dawn was always totally independent and not afraid of expressing her opinions so it didn't make sense that she would let him walk all over her. I am so confused!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2025
The message of this (don’t change yourself for a boy) is a good one, but I found it kind of sloppy as a story. It felt odd to me that they chose to give this plotline to Dawn, given that her whole characterization is based on her being an individual who doesn’t care what other people think. It’s fine for her to act a little out of character—people act out of character in real life all the time—but the why of it should have been explored further.
I also don’t feel like we got a good enough sense of Travis’s motivations. By the end of the book, it wasn’t really clear what exactly he wanted out of his relationship with Dawn that whole time.
I also don’t feel like we got a good enough sense of Travis’s motivations. By the end of the book, it wasn’t really clear what exactly he wanted out of his relationship with Dawn that whole time.
September 30, 2019
Another Dawn book
Not being a Dawn fan anyway this book had its good moments but one note I meant to make in the last one which is more important now. Kids do not work things out for themselves they do not have the mental or social capacity to fix most of them and Zach is clearly a young predator who is controlling like Travis the sitters should have intervened both times at least called a parent to make sure kids going over to another house without the sitter was ok. And yes Travis was a creep from the first naturally a clueless one
Not being a Dawn fan anyway this book had its good moments but one note I meant to make in the last one which is more important now. Kids do not work things out for themselves they do not have the mental or social capacity to fix most of them and Zach is clearly a young predator who is controlling like Travis the sitters should have intervened both times at least called a parent to make sure kids going over to another house without the sitter was ok. And yes Travis was a creep from the first naturally a clueless one
November 11, 2019
I keep thinking that maybe I was unfair for not liking Dawn much as a child, but this book hits so many weird notes that it makes me wonder if I just happened to read all of the awful ones. Dawn falls for an older boy--which is fine--most 13 year olds probably do. But she then calls him and gives him a huge lecture about how he tried to change her and that was wrong (not that she's wrong, but honestly? What's the point? He hasn't tried to speak to you in weeks?)
The sub-plot is so lackluster, too.
The sub-plot is so lackluster, too.
June 3, 2017
This BSC adventure has a lot of relationship drama for a BSC book! Which is what I like.
Travis is a oblivious control freak who lead Dawn on, Dawn is a doormat turned stalker who is willing to do everything Travis said. It wasn't until he started seeing another girl that the gloves were off and Dawn became a bona fide stalker. And Mary Anne (and Logan, who's off screen) are just plain medclers, trying to matchmake Dawn with Logan's cousin, Lewis before her love for Travis was even cold!
Travis is a oblivious control freak who lead Dawn on, Dawn is a doormat turned stalker who is willing to do everything Travis said. It wasn't until he started seeing another girl that the gloves were off and Dawn became a bona fide stalker. And Mary Anne (and Logan, who's off screen) are just plain medclers, trying to matchmake Dawn with Logan's cousin, Lewis before her love for Travis was even cold!
Read
July 29, 2020As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
March 1, 2022
3 stars. Travis was a jerk. This was one of the ones I vividly remember reading as a child because I remember liking it and thinking Dawn was so cool because an older boy liked her. As an adult this was kind of bizarre. However, the way Dawn handled him after finding out about his girl friend was everything. I loved that entire scene. Also, the ending with the letters between her and Lewis were adorable. I wasn’t crazy about this one but it wasn’t awful or anything.
June 29, 2023
RED FLAG BEHAVIOR
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