The Baby-Sitters Club #89: Kristy and the Dirty Diapers

It's that time of year again, time for everyone to start eighth grade again for the 780^th time. It's also time for another standoff between the Bashers and the Krushers. After the Krushhers win the very first game, this older guy named Mr. Davis comes up and introduces himself. He owns a diaper service and wants to sponsor the team. He'll give them new uniforms, equipment, the whole nine yards. After talking it over with the BSC, Kristy decides that it's the best choice for her team.

Mr. Davis then sends her a box of new uniforms, but they now all say Davis Diapers. Kristy isn't happy about losing her name, but she still thinks it was a good idea. The rest of her team doesn't necessarily feel the same way. Half the players won't wear the uniforms, and Mr. Davis gets annoyed when he comes to the game and sees them wearing other stuff.

At the same time, they see some activity going on in a mansion down the street. It turns out that someone bought the house who has twin girls Kristy's age. After stalking the house for a few weeks, she finally sees the new family. They showed up before the utility companies turned things on in the house, but Elizabeth insists that they spend the night at their house.

Abby has allergies and talks constantly, while Anna is more quiet. Since Abby is allergic to dust and animals, Kristy, Sam, and Charlie clean the guest room and make it perfect for her. When Watson brings in baked clams, she almost gets sick and runs from the room. Kristy quickly decides that she likes Anna way more than she likes Abby. It doesn't help that Abby does "funny" impressions of everyone, including Watson, and makes friends with pretty much everyone in school on her first day.

While all this is going on, Mrs. Porter comes over to talk to Watson and Elizabeth. Her daughter and son-in-law are divorcing, and she has to take care of her granddaughter Dru for awhile. Dru eventually joins the Krushers, but she hates sports a lot. Anna gives her music lessons, and she ends up forming a band to support the team.

Abby kind of takes over Kristy's role in a lot of ways. When they see a group of girls playing softball, Abby jumps in and starts playing with them. She gives David Michael baseball lessons, and Kristy hates the way that she keeps joking around while working with him. She also shows up at Krushers practices and kind of takes over coaching, and she comes to all the games.

Mr. Davis lets his true colors show when the team starts losing. He constantly complains that they aren't playing well. He tells Suzie what to do with her hands, lectures Nicky on how he won't make it to the majors, and makes it clear that he wants to see everyone in their uniforms. The more he comes around, the more games they lose. Kristy finally snaps and tells him to take everything back. Once they become the Krushers again, they win the series.

Dawn is back in California for good but people keep calling. Shannon let them know that she can't take her place this time because she's so busy with school. Kristy brings Anna and Abby to a BSC meeting and introduces them to everyone. Once they all agree, she asks them to join the club. Abby agrees right off the bat, but Anna turns them down because she'll be really busy with school and her music.

*Even though the last time there was a "world series," Kristy and Bart decided that one game was enough for the kids, they now make them play five games. That's a little crazy.

*Abby is allergic to tomatoes, so instead of having spaghetti with marinara sauce like everyone else, she eats it with soy sauce and olive oil. That sounds nasty.

*When two of the more popular guys make up nicknames for Abby, Kristy makes a snarky comment about how she must be good at a lot of things. Is it wrong that I thought she was calling her a slut?

*Watson once again calls Kristy his/our daughter in this book. It's really sweet, but it stinks that the only time she calls him dad is when he almost dies of a heart attack.

*Shannon sits at the beginning of the book, but then when she sits a few chapters later, she says it's been so long that she missed sitting. How much freaking time passed??

*The twins' mom must be super rich. I love how in the later books she was so broke when their dad died that she had to give up her cooking career to go into publishing. In this book, she has so much money that not only does she build a new addition and completely renovate her mansion, but she buys brand new furniture for every room.

*I'm not a big Abby fan, and this book makes me even less of a fan. There's something really grating about her. She always has to be the center of attention, is constantly making people focus on her, and never seems to shut up.

*All the BSC members worry that her asthma will keep her from being a good sitter. Kristy points out that it's no different than Stacey having diabetes. In the next book, she's the one who freaks out when Abby has an asthma attack.

*Kristy trying to force a friendship with Anna seems really out of character. She knows that they have nothing in common but is constantly trying to push something just because she doesn't like Abby.

*The whole uniforms thing is just ridiculous. Claudia points out that Kristy won't be happy with another name on her uniforms, but she says she just wants what is best for her team. She then gets upset that he puts his company name on them. He already pointed out that it was free publicity for him, so what did she expect?