User:Propaniac/bsc/Claudia's Friend

Claudia's Freind Friend is the sixty-third book in the original Baby-Sitters Club series.

Main plot
Claudia is in danger of failing her English class. If she doesn't get a good grade on the test that is coming up, she will fail. She refuses to utilize the school's resource room, as it makes her feel stupid. Her friends decide to tutor her until her grades come up. Stacey decides that having more than one tutor will hinder her progress and becomes Claudia's only tutor. Claudia feels that Stacey is treating her like a child, bossing her around and letting her power go to her head. Stacey makes Claudia keep a journal so that she can practice writing, and work on her spelling more. Claudia keeps that journal, but she also keeps a secret journal where she writes mean things about Stacey. Stacey takes the wrong journal to correct one day, and they fight. They eventually make up when Stacey realizes that she is being too hard on Claudia.

Secondary plot
Shea Rodowsky is diagnosed with dyslexia. The sitters try to encourage him, and help him with is homework. However, the person who helps him the most can't spell either - Claudia! They bond, and Shea teaches Claudia a few tricks to remember how to spell difficult words.

Other plot information
The girls receive letters during their meetings, addressed to the BSC, that praise them. Mallory thinks they are letters for her from Ben Hobart, Kristy thinks they are from Bart Taylor, Claudia hopes they are from Austin Bentley, Stacey thinks they are from Sam Thomas, and Jessi hopes they are from Curtis Shaller. There is a dance coming up at the Stoneybrook Community Center, creatively called Spring Dance. Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold dance with two of the Pike triplets.

Kristy baby-sits for the Kormans during a Krushers practice.

Clients in this book

 * The Rodowskys
 * The Kormans
 * David Michael Thomas
 * Emily Michelle Brewer

Other characters

 * Mrs. Hall
 * Claudia's deceased grandmother Mimi is mentioned
 * Austin Bentley
 * Ben Hobart
 * Bart Taylor
 * Cokie Mason
 * Grace Bloom
 * Sam Thomas
 * Rosie Wilder
 * Bo
 * Claire Pike
 * Matt Braddock
 * Linny Papadakis
 * Hannie Papadakis
 * Nancy Dawes

Places in this book

 * Stoneybrook Middle School
 * Stoneybrook Community Center

Notable outfits

 * Kristy wears her favorite turtleneck, a jean skirt, tights and loafers when she plays some one-on-one basketball with Bart Taylor.
 * Claudia wears a giant blue-and-white striped shirt and socks with blue spots, over blue bike shorts that matched the stripes and spots. She pulls on red high tops and hung a dangly red earring made of a string of hearts in one ear and another earring that was a dangly row of silver arrows.  She pulls her hair back with a red ribbon.
 * Stacey wears black jeans and black Doc Martens, with a big golden yellow shirt with round black buttons.

Trivia/continuity

 * Claudia mentions her first private art show in her garage, from book #49, Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street
 * Claudia mentions the trip to Shadow Lake in SS10.
 * The BSC reminisces about the time when Cokie Mason and Grace Blume sent them threatening letters.
 * Kristy puts sunscreen on the Korman kids, even though it's April.

Pop culture references

 * Jackie Robinson
 * Ben and Jerry's
 * Harriet the Spy
 * Groucho Marx