Pop culture, gender politics, and developmental psychology in the “Baby-sitters Club”—you didn’t know you needed it.
Reading the feed…
Hey listeners! That time of the year is here when the days are long and our days are busier than we thought they would be! School is returning, and Esme is off taking her eldest kid to college (IN NEW ENGLAND!!!). To celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Kristy’s Great Idea” (and since we have so many new followers!), we thought it would be fun to re-release a summer listening package: Our prologue episode, explaining who we are, and our first full episode, discussing “Kristy’s Great Idea.” Enjoy, grant us grace for our audio quality, and we will see you in September!
What should this book be called? Why are they all giving up? And are competing commitments just a natural part of growing up? Emily also dives into whether the BSC is truly a monopoly, we get bogged down in how sad this book is and then, don’t worry, Anne lightens it up.
EMERGENCY MEETING!!! Stoneybrookers, this is NOT a drill! The first new BSC book in 16 years (and only the second in 26 years!) is here and it is a DARN DELIGHT. This episode is packed with spoilers, so read the book first and then give it a listen, pretty pretty please. We discuss what a revelation it is to have Claud and Jessi written by authors from their cultures, Kristy’s… identity development, Dawn’s flexibility, and Stacey’s crushmaxxing– and what do we think about Dream Boyz? Our house band, Kid-Kit, is on the case! Tune in and then tell us what you think!
Stacey and Robert call it quits and Esme has a lot to say! How do we rate Mr. McGill’s interventions? How hot is Ethan? Was Abby predicting the rise of neoliberalism or attempting to stage a coup… or both? Most importantly, what would we order Joe Allen? Tune in to find out!
In which Anne and Esme venture to New York, meet up with Emily, and go to a Broadway benefit gala in order to be in the same room as our Queen, support the BSC musical, and see some famouses. Tune in to find out all our secrets! Also we started releasing the pod six years ago TODAY! Can you believe it!?!?! Thank you for listening, we love you all!
How many old people with inheritances are there in Stoneybrook? The Livingstone family has a Westing Game like puzzle to solve and Dawn is here to help! We explore the academic history of sibling rivalry, talk about what Watson’s will might look like, and pontificate about greenwashing and Tootsie Pops (duh). PLUS TWO POOL PARTIES.
The BSC (minus literally poor Mallory and super rich Kristy) are off to Oahu (and Maui) accompanied by Robert, Logan, and some other SMS jokers. Anne and Esme went to Honolulu the same summer and reminisce, while we dive deeper into Claud’s identity crisis, Abby’s acting career, and the damn farm camp in Stoneybrook. Here’s your dose of aloha, just in time for summer!
Dawn’s home from California and Jeff and the Pike triplets want to be junior sitters— yes, it’s bad. Esme talks about gender differences in development and tolerance of disgust, while Anne and Em mostly debate about whether or not these girls can really raise $500 in 4 weeks (in 1996).
Flirt Alert! WHAT is going on with that… mischievous Cary Retlin!? We also discuss color blindness (dun dun DUNNNNN), teacher’s strikes, and Cary’s specific moral code. Also Kristy’s a snitch, scavenger hunts are fun, and Ellen Miles didn’t write this one! Join us!
You guys… YOU GUYS. PETER LERANGIS IS IN THE HOUSE. Well, not in an actual house, but he is our special guest this episode! You may know him as the BSC ghost writer that’s a little silly and delightful, and we’re happy to confirm that he too is silly and delightful! We got to talk to Peter about the BSC, Ann M. Martin, his favorite sitters, the beginnings of his writing career, and, of course, that NEW BSC BOOK THAT’S COMING OUT THIS SUMMER. Whew. Can you tell we are excited?
Peaches has her baby, Lynn, and CLAUDIA IS OBSESSED. Esme didn’t really do any research because she was too busy reminiscing about when Emily was born. Emily talks a lot about gender (who could predict?) and Anne…
Big development is coming to Stoneybrook! And he has… an evil twin? Or is he the evil twin? We discuss the development horrors of the nineties, whether poor Luke Martinez was traumatized, and the rising role of Cary Retlin and his creatively-named little brothers. Come stop big business with us!
We were so excited to be joined by ACTUAL BSC AUTHOR Becky Albertalli to discuss Abby’s Bat Mitzvah (and Becky’s own from the mid-nineties!). We had fun dissecting Abby’s moral development and the Jewish representation both in this book and in Stoneybrook, but don’t worry, we also snuck in a number of questions about the upcoming Baby-sitter Summer and how Becky came to be writing for Kristy Thomas! Come learn your Torah portion with us as we wish Abby Mazel Tov!
Well, you guys… Mary Anne’s book is very Mary Anne. We have some sweet anecdotes, we have some social anxiety, we have some lovely interactions between Richard and Mimi. It’s a bit of a snooze, but who among us wasn’t at 13?!? But don’t worry, we figured out where Alma Baker saw the Stones.
Man this book has SO. MUCH. KISSING. It’s honestly shocking! Kristy isn’t sure what she wants and it takes her awhile to figure it out… genuine confusion is rendered pretty well here! Also there is a mind-numbing plot about record books, but we talk about Cap’n Crunch instead.
Dark Woods, Greenwood, Skull and Bones— secret societies be popping up in Connecticut! Abby’s sooooo boooooored so she and the gang decide to solve a COLD CASE MURDER. We talk about secret societies, being biracial, and whether Anne is good at guessing BSC plots. Come take down some racists with us!
Well well well… Stace appears to be following in Mr. McGill’s footsteps and becoming a “workaholic.” We discuss the term in depth, while also wondering: did AMM predict the precarious the gig economy? Also, how would Vulcan powers be useful for bowling? Explore this and more with us… Plus, a BSC big 5… for a BOY!
We won’t mince words—this one is a tear-jerker to bring you into the holidays. We discuss grief some more, and finally get to meet the elusive Dr. Reese— in fact, Esme gets to judge TWO mental health professionals! We also discuss the punitive stance of SADD and why Kristy likes the police so much, but don’t worry, Anne cracks us up with extended Rube Goldberg information. Come hang out with us in Amelia’s honor!
All of this mystery-solving finally catches up to the BSC and (spoiler!) one of the big, bad criminals they locked up is coming for them… or is he? Emily gets to talk more about the carceral state, Esme gives a mini lesson on validation, and Anne gets personal with some Japanese-American-informed thoughts about why Claud gets so salty at Abby’s ski-bragging. Let’s head back to Shadow Lake!
Another parable about the dangers of selling out! Mal and family just want to have an old-fashioned Christmas but VANESSA enters them into a contest and they end up on reality TV. We talk about the capitalism of it all (of course), the impact of being on camera on self image, and the birth of reality television (beFORE the Real World, y’all!). Join us with your homemade presents and your tree chopping!
Media literacy! Historical perspectives! Colonialism! Censorship and the first amendment! Y’all, Emily was BUSY this episode! Also, Esme adds some smart stuff and Anne gets goofy with candy corn.
Fall is falling all around and the three of us couldn’t get together this week! Instead, we offer an insight into our early Patreon offerings (and indeed on truly foundational BSC texts) with these two hot takes about The Parent Trap. Let’s get together!
Well, yes, there is a maniac woman again. Why wouldn’t the mystery be caused by a maniac woman? Enough about that. We think Abby studied with Dale Carnegie, we deep dive on the feminism in Carrie, and also, why is Ray Parker, Jr., the best? Listen and find out!
Abby’s really here, baby! We love her and both Esme and Emily cried several times! We discuss unpaid labor, environmentalism near and far, Long Island v. New England, trauma after divorce, and so much more! Oh, and of course, I Love Lucy.
We dive into Dawn’s origins in Palo City and learn a lot about what makes her tick! We talk some more about fear of fire (why so many house fires, AMM? Give Anne a break!), couple interaction styles, the deliciousness of Mrs. Winslow’s veggies and dip, and much much more! Come catch a wave with us, both at the beach and on the Winslow’s water bed!
