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The Baby-Sitters Club #71
Claudia and the Perfect Boy
While reading a magazine, Claudia comes up with the idea of starting a personals column in her school paper. She helps others, but will she ever find the perfect boy for her?
149 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,126 books3,097 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 38 reviews
November 29, 2016
in this actually really good claudia book by ghostwriter Suzanne Weyn, claud makes a personals column in the stoneybrook middle school newspaper as a means to meet guys. she doesn't find a new boyfriend, but she finds something better: a project that she is really good at and really enjoys. meanwhile, the barrett family has to give their dog pow away when marnie develops an allergy to him.
highlights:
-the pow barrett plotline is handled really well. buddy and suzi resent marnie for her allergy, but she's just a baby who doesn't understand why her siblings are being mean to her. and pow has to sleep in the garage, and he thinks he's being punished. even mrs. barrett cries about it because she loves pow. it's seriously such a bummer, and it's handled well. the one slight problem is the deus ex machina-y resolution (see lowlights/nitpicks for more).
-the main plotline is also handled really well. claud thinks she needs a boyfriend, and instead of finding a boyfriend she finds validation. I would expect this book to end with her finding the titular perfect boy, but nope: she just goes on a series of dates that suck, and she ends up with a newspaper job instead.
-claud's teenage solipsism: "I don't know who decided how words should be spelled but I think that person went out of his or her way to be difficult."
-the reader learns through claud learning what goes into making a newspaper, journalism lingo, etc.
-one kid writes a personals ad looking for a support group for children of divorce. claud gives him dr. reese's info (mary anne's therapist, mentioned once before in Chain Letter) and he starts therapy. I don't think that's what personals columns are usually used for, but it's another plotline that serves to make claudia feel like she's actually doing something with her life.
-claud responds to alan gray's ad! aahahahhahaha this is especially funny because she DOES date him in the friends forever series (Claudia and the Disaster Date)
-claud is really good at layout and emily asks her to work on layout for the paper. yet another way claud is a perfect future newsie!
-one of claud's dates: "wow, man, alan didn't tell me you were a japanese chick." when claudia asks if it matters that she's japanese, he says, "I'm into everything Asian. like yin yang, tai chi, sushi, you name it." then he keeps wanting to talk about japan, after which claud finds out he's of eastern euro descent and asks, "do you eat goulash and kielbasa every night?" BOOM.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-oh how CONVENIENT that the pike family has been wanting to get a dog anyway and are happy to take pow off the barretts' hands! come ON. the pow barrett plotline is so sad that I'm almost willing to accept this extremely unrealistic resolution, but it's a little annoying.
claudia outfits:
-"You might not think to wear pink socks with gold stretch pants, and then add a gold turtleneck under a pink sweater. But that's what I did yesterday, and then I added blue jewelry."
-"I'd settled on a long white shirt under a green tapestry vest, green corduroy pants, and low boots."
-"...I slipped into my new brown suede cloth pants..." (Stacey suggests bead earrings, silver bangles, and a silver hairclip). "I trust Stacey's fashion sense, so I took her advice. I finished the outfit with a simple yellow button down shirt and a brown and yellow brocade vest."
snacks in claudia's room:
-cool ranch doritos under her bed
highlights:
-the pow barrett plotline is handled really well. buddy and suzi resent marnie for her allergy, but she's just a baby who doesn't understand why her siblings are being mean to her. and pow has to sleep in the garage, and he thinks he's being punished. even mrs. barrett cries about it because she loves pow. it's seriously such a bummer, and it's handled well. the one slight problem is the deus ex machina-y resolution (see lowlights/nitpicks for more).
-the main plotline is also handled really well. claud thinks she needs a boyfriend, and instead of finding a boyfriend she finds validation. I would expect this book to end with her finding the titular perfect boy, but nope: she just goes on a series of dates that suck, and she ends up with a newspaper job instead.
-claud's teenage solipsism: "I don't know who decided how words should be spelled but I think that person went out of his or her way to be difficult."
-the reader learns through claud learning what goes into making a newspaper, journalism lingo, etc.
-one kid writes a personals ad looking for a support group for children of divorce. claud gives him dr. reese's info (mary anne's therapist, mentioned once before in Chain Letter) and he starts therapy. I don't think that's what personals columns are usually used for, but it's another plotline that serves to make claudia feel like she's actually doing something with her life.
-claud responds to alan gray's ad! aahahahhahaha this is especially funny because she DOES date him in the friends forever series (Claudia and the Disaster Date)
-claud is really good at layout and emily asks her to work on layout for the paper. yet another way claud is a perfect future newsie!
-one of claud's dates: "wow, man, alan didn't tell me you were a japanese chick." when claudia asks if it matters that she's japanese, he says, "I'm into everything Asian. like yin yang, tai chi, sushi, you name it." then he keeps wanting to talk about japan, after which claud finds out he's of eastern euro descent and asks, "do you eat goulash and kielbasa every night?" BOOM.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-oh how CONVENIENT that the pike family has been wanting to get a dog anyway and are happy to take pow off the barretts' hands! come ON. the pow barrett plotline is so sad that I'm almost willing to accept this extremely unrealistic resolution, but it's a little annoying.
claudia outfits:
-"You might not think to wear pink socks with gold stretch pants, and then add a gold turtleneck under a pink sweater. But that's what I did yesterday, and then I added blue jewelry."
-"I'd settled on a long white shirt under a green tapestry vest, green corduroy pants, and low boots."
-"...I slipped into my new brown suede cloth pants..." (Stacey suggests bead earrings, silver bangles, and a silver hairclip). "I trust Stacey's fashion sense, so I took her advice. I finished the outfit with a simple yellow button down shirt and a brown and yellow brocade vest."
snacks in claudia's room:
-cool ranch doritos under her bed
January 4, 2014
In which Caludia starts a personals column to try to find the perfect boy and gets Alan Gray instead. Oh, Claud. Get off your high horse and give good ol' Alan Gray a chance. Yeah, I know. She did. But she should have here.
The book title contains potential false advertising. There is no perfect boy. Unlesd you count Alan Gray. I do.
The book title contains potential false advertising. There is no perfect boy. Unlesd you count Alan Gray. I do.
January 15, 2020
Claudia's ~quest to find The One! It was so amusing to see just how much dating in 1994 and in 2018 are still the ~same—her frustration, the profile ads, blind dates and all hit too close to home!
I loved the BSC growing up, and have decided to re-read (or read for the first time) some of the books in the series. Which of the members are you most like? :)
I loved the BSC growing up, and have decided to re-read (or read for the first time) some of the books in the series. Which of the members are you most like? :)
October 11, 2010
Is it just me, or has this plot already been done several times in Sweet Valley? Ah well, guess it was time to tackle it here. But of course Claudia, she who cannot spell, is the one to get a job at the SMS newspaper!
February 25, 2024
This book was originally published just after I'd outgrown the series, so today was my first time reading it. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Yes, the premise is ridiculous - a MIDDLE SCHOOL with a WEEKLY newspaper that's run like a junior LA Times and has a hugely popular personals column thanks to Claudia's Great Idea. Kids ages 11 through 13 writing personal ads for dates, and publishing their phone numbers and addresses...that's slightly disturbing from an adult perspective. Maybe I was a late bloomer; I didn't get interested in boys and dating until I was 16. And only a handful of people in my middle school went on dates (which were typically movies or ice cream with a parent chaperone.) The kids in this book write their personal ads as though they're 20-somethings looking to mingle.
Even though she's only 13, it's pretty amusing to read about Claudia going on a lot of dud dates, mostly because she's a good sport about it and acknowledges that most of the boys are nice but just not her type. Too often the girls in this series are judgmental, but Claudia was written as a generally friendly and open-minded. I'm glad this wasn't a Dawn book (Dawn's in California at this point in the series, so we're spared her snotty opinions.)
At one point Claudia uses the personals ads to play matchmaker for her fellow classmates, which is cute even though it's handled in a corny way. And Stacey tries to boost Claudia's confidence by writing fake responses as her dream boy, but it backfires. I've seen that on more than one sitcom plot.
Overall this book was ridiculous but a slightly fun read.
Even though she's only 13, it's pretty amusing to read about Claudia going on a lot of dud dates, mostly because she's a good sport about it and acknowledges that most of the boys are nice but just not her type. Too often the girls in this series are judgmental, but Claudia was written as a generally friendly and open-minded. I'm glad this wasn't a Dawn book (Dawn's in California at this point in the series, so we're spared her snotty opinions.)
At one point Claudia uses the personals ads to play matchmaker for her fellow classmates, which is cute even though it's handled in a corny way. And Stacey tries to boost Claudia's confidence by writing fake responses as her dream boy, but it backfires. I've seen that on more than one sitcom plot.
Overall this book was ridiculous but a slightly fun read.
October 15, 2020
Reading this (and the reviews), I've learned that
Chain Letter
goes somewhere before this book in the chronology. I hadn't put it (or
Secret Santa
) in my list to read because I never thought they had any affect on the overarching story, but as Mary Anne mentions going to a therapist (which wasn't mentioned at all in any other books, but in Chain Letter) I guess I need to give those a reread too. But I digress.
This was never one of my favourite BSC books, and I don't really know why. I like how Claudia finds something new she's good at (working on the school newspaper, not the matchmaking lol), and I feel like it's something that even her parents would approve of. I guess just her bummer dates didn't overly appeal to me, and even now, 1) it annoys me that they're all one-off dudes who were just made up for this book that we never hear of again, and 2) I can't handle the child (because you're still practically a fetus at 13-14) with a tattoo that she goes out with.
This was never one of my favourite BSC books, and I don't really know why. I like how Claudia finds something new she's good at (working on the school newspaper, not the matchmaking lol), and I feel like it's something that even her parents would approve of. I guess just her bummer dates didn't overly appeal to me, and even now, 1) it annoys me that they're all one-off dudes who were just made up for this book that we never hear of again, and 2) I can't handle the child (because you're still practically a fetus at 13-14) with a tattoo that she goes out with.
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.
September 26, 2021
Maybe this one just seemed so much better because it came after Dawn and the Surfer Ghost, but I really enjoyed reading about Claudia and her column. Sure, her search from the right guy was silly (although I did love hearing about the strange guys she thought would be great for her) but at least I was entertained.
The side story of Pow and Marnie was super sad, though. I couldn't even blame Mary Anne for bursting into tears--I probably would have, too.
The side story of Pow and Marnie was super sad, though. I couldn't even blame Mary Anne for bursting into tears--I probably would have, too.
January 25, 2023
Can we first just enjoy this cover outfit? Exquisite fashionable Claudia! This book starts off with Claudia hugging herself. Literally. She's lonely and a little jealous of Mary Anne & Logan's relationship and just wants that super-special, tingly, in-love thing. Yeah, she's had dates and short-term boyfriends (on every vacation she goes on) but nothing "real" and steady. And now she wants it. So she decides to make herself a list of the perfect guy: handsome, funny, athletic, sensitive, interesting, artistic, good dresser...the list just goes on and on. She's really asking for a lot here. But we'll see if she gets it. And time for a What Claudia Was Wearing already!
I like to experiment with the way colors look and I combine them in ways that please me. (You'd be amazed by the colors that go together. Take pink and gold. You might not think to wear pink socks with gold stretch pants, and then add a gold turtleneck under a pink sweater. But that's what I did yesterday, and then I added blue jewelry. It was great! I looked like a human sunset. The outfit made me very happy.)
Stacey & Claudia are having a sleepover after their Friday BSC meeting and Claudia tells Stacey all about her perfect guy list. Then Stacey gets the genius idea for Claudia to start a personals column in their school newspaper, the SMS Express. Claudia is like "yeah right, me, the worst speller in the world?" But she can't get the idea out of her head so she talks to Emily Bernstein, the editor, on Monday and she loves the idea. So Claudia gets her column and we get lots of newspaper talk from Emily, which is actually really interesting.
Of course, the really fun part is when Claudia starts getting letters. She gets tons of letters from kids looking for love and also one heart-breaking letter from a boy whose parents are splitting up and he wants to meet up with other kids going through the same. (Claudia ends up giving him the number to Mary Anne's therapist, which is apparently only mentioned in the special Chain Letter book.) Claudia thinks she's gotten way over her head, especially with her spelling track record. But Stacey shows her this genius invention that changes Claudia's life forever: spellcheck on the computer! It's funny to see the girls learning how to use a computer together.
Claudia finds 2 guys pretty quickly that she is interested in and decides to write them, while also printing their ads in the paper. The first guy turns out to be the grossest guy in the 8th grade: Alan Gray! Ew. (Doesn't she actually end up dating him later in the series?) The other guy is a little better so she agrees to a date with him. And is totally embarrassed when her mom insists on meeting him first. And we have Claudia's First Date Outfits #1 & #2. Is it just me or are these basically the same outfit? Also, not the one on the cover.
I'd settled on a long white shirt under a green tapestry vest, green corduroy pants, and low boots.
I slipped into my new brown suede cloth pants. [Stacey suggests I wear] bead earrings, lots of silver jewelry, bangles would be perfect. "And put in your good silver hairclip." I trust Stacey's fashion sense, so I took her advice. I finished the outfit with a simple yellow button down shirt and a brown and yellow brocade vest.
Sadly, both the dates are a bust. The 1st guy is Boring, he sketches but it's the model cars that he then puts together, from a kit. The 2nd guy has a creepy Asian fetish and that's all we're going to say about him. Her 3rd date doesn't even warrant an outfit check. Then she gets a couple of letters from a perfect-sounding, Jason Priestley look-a-like guy. Turns out it's Stacey, but she was just trying to make Claudia feel better. Claud is mad for a few days but then thinks it's funny. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't get over it that easily.
Claudia's match-making is going great though. She gets the big-boned girl in 7th grade a date with a short nerd, the girl that talks a lot hooks up with the boring guy Claudia went out with, etc. She does make one little mistake though and nearly causes a breakup between Logan & Mary Anne oops, but it's all sorted out by the end. Claudia's newspaper career is a success.
The baby-sitting plot is mostly about Marnie Barrett who is having allergy issues and Mrs Barrett trying to figure it out. Claudia thinks this little gem that really burns when you're well over 30 reading this lol. Scatterbrained and old (she was at least thirty as far as I could tell), Mrs Barrett with her three wild kids had a boyfriend, and I didn't. Mrs Barrett has really cleaned up her act though, especially since dating Franklin. The house is clean, she's organized, all good. But then she finds out what Marnie is allergic to: Pow, their sweet old Bassett Hound dog. I admit, I cried with Buddy & Suzi when they found out. I would be devastated if I was allergic to dogs or cats. Pow has to stay in the garage til they can find a new home for him and it's all terrible. But the Pike family comes to the rescue! Mr & Mrs Pike had been considering getting a dog for their brood and have been around Pow already and they live right across the street, so they agree to take him and Marnie stops sniffling and everything is wonderful again.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
I like to experiment with the way colors look and I combine them in ways that please me. (You'd be amazed by the colors that go together. Take pink and gold. You might not think to wear pink socks with gold stretch pants, and then add a gold turtleneck under a pink sweater. But that's what I did yesterday, and then I added blue jewelry. It was great! I looked like a human sunset. The outfit made me very happy.)
Stacey & Claudia are having a sleepover after their Friday BSC meeting and Claudia tells Stacey all about her perfect guy list. Then Stacey gets the genius idea for Claudia to start a personals column in their school newspaper, the SMS Express. Claudia is like "yeah right, me, the worst speller in the world?" But she can't get the idea out of her head so she talks to Emily Bernstein, the editor, on Monday and she loves the idea. So Claudia gets her column and we get lots of newspaper talk from Emily, which is actually really interesting.
Of course, the really fun part is when Claudia starts getting letters. She gets tons of letters from kids looking for love and also one heart-breaking letter from a boy whose parents are splitting up and he wants to meet up with other kids going through the same. (Claudia ends up giving him the number to Mary Anne's therapist, which is apparently only mentioned in the special Chain Letter book.) Claudia thinks she's gotten way over her head, especially with her spelling track record. But Stacey shows her this genius invention that changes Claudia's life forever: spellcheck on the computer! It's funny to see the girls learning how to use a computer together.
Claudia finds 2 guys pretty quickly that she is interested in and decides to write them, while also printing their ads in the paper. The first guy turns out to be the grossest guy in the 8th grade: Alan Gray! Ew. (Doesn't she actually end up dating him later in the series?) The other guy is a little better so she agrees to a date with him. And is totally embarrassed when her mom insists on meeting him first. And we have Claudia's First Date Outfits #1 & #2. Is it just me or are these basically the same outfit? Also, not the one on the cover.
I'd settled on a long white shirt under a green tapestry vest, green corduroy pants, and low boots.
I slipped into my new brown suede cloth pants. [Stacey suggests I wear] bead earrings, lots of silver jewelry, bangles would be perfect. "And put in your good silver hairclip." I trust Stacey's fashion sense, so I took her advice. I finished the outfit with a simple yellow button down shirt and a brown and yellow brocade vest.
Sadly, both the dates are a bust. The 1st guy is Boring, he sketches but it's the model cars that he then puts together, from a kit. The 2nd guy has a creepy Asian fetish and that's all we're going to say about him. Her 3rd date doesn't even warrant an outfit check. Then she gets a couple of letters from a perfect-sounding, Jason Priestley look-a-like guy. Turns out it's Stacey, but she was just trying to make Claudia feel better. Claud is mad for a few days but then thinks it's funny. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't get over it that easily.
Claudia's match-making is going great though. She gets the big-boned girl in 7th grade a date with a short nerd, the girl that talks a lot hooks up with the boring guy Claudia went out with, etc. She does make one little mistake though and nearly causes a breakup between Logan & Mary Anne oops, but it's all sorted out by the end. Claudia's newspaper career is a success.
The baby-sitting plot is mostly about Marnie Barrett who is having allergy issues and Mrs Barrett trying to figure it out. Claudia thinks this little gem that really burns when you're well over 30 reading this lol. Scatterbrained and old (she was at least thirty as far as I could tell), Mrs Barrett with her three wild kids had a boyfriend, and I didn't. Mrs Barrett has really cleaned up her act though, especially since dating Franklin. The house is clean, she's organized, all good. But then she finds out what Marnie is allergic to: Pow, their sweet old Bassett Hound dog. I admit, I cried with Buddy & Suzi when they found out. I would be devastated if I was allergic to dogs or cats. Pow has to stay in the garage til they can find a new home for him and it's all terrible. But the Pike family comes to the rescue! Mr & Mrs Pike had been considering getting a dog for their brood and have been around Pow already and they live right across the street, so they agree to take him and Marnie stops sniffling and everything is wonderful again.
Blogged at SeeJennRead
February 18, 2026
boooooooooo booo tomato tomato tomato!!!! claudia starts a personal ad for the school newspaper bc she's trying to find the perfect boy for herself. she makes some love connections for other students, accidentally gets logan and mary anne to break up, and ends up on a date with a weird kid with an asian fetish. just when she thinks she's found the perfect boy from an ad, stacey reveals it was her all along??? hated it.
March 5, 2023
When I was 10 I joined a readers club/group where we got a new book every week. I chose The babysitters club.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
The books are fantastic! So enjoyable. I loved getting the book every week. They are super quick reads and I was able to read it in one day.
Highly recommend for young teenagers to read or even younger if they are able too read well.
December 20, 2020
(LL)
This book does a great job tackling: finding someone worth dating, realizing no one is perfect, and that being single is just fine.
As an aside: the subplot with Pow was like a Sour Patch Kid...sour then sweet!
This book does a great job tackling: finding someone worth dating, realizing no one is perfect, and that being single is just fine.
As an aside: the subplot with Pow was like a Sour Patch Kid...sour then sweet!
January 2, 2022
"Newspaper" is my favorite genre of book or movie, so naturally I loved this book. This was so fun! I imagined this basically taking place in the Washington Post bullpen. Stacey seems like Woodward and Claudia seems like the Bernstein.
October 26, 2023
This was so strange. I felt like there was a moral to get out of this, but other than my Old Lady mind saying WHY ARE ALL THESE CHILDREN GOING ON DATES, that's all I got.
Still, I always love these books!
Still, I always love these books!
November 10, 2024
4.5 stars. Absolutely love the message of this one. Claudia really wants to start dating but learns that she doesn't need to make boys a priority and I loved that. I'm always here for Claudia led stories as she is one of my favorites of the girls and this one was a really great read. Loved it.
June 20, 2025
This is very dated what with personals in the newspaper and using what would be the command line in MS-DOS for a computer. I do however vividly remember being a tween and young teen and desperately wanting a boyfriend so that resonated.
January 22, 2026
Not as juicy as I thought it would be, given the setup! I actually preferred the babysitting subplot in this one (it was so sad and pulled no punches), but the two didn’t thematically relate to each other at all.
September 10, 2017
Pretty dull for a Claudia book, ngl. I wasn't impressed, and if I'm being honest I don't remember this one from my childhood at ALL.
October 23, 2019
Review on www.Audible.com please listen to this book.
August 28, 2020
“Claudia!” Stacey wailed. “You are extremely attractive,”
Read
October 4, 2020Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blo...
March 3, 2024
I really like the book, but I wish there was a better ending.
October 25, 2024
This book didn’t suck like I thought it would. Claudia ended up helping a bunch of people and Pow was given to a family who loves him. What more could you want?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2024
I re read this and it was a good book I enjoyed it.
March 22, 2024
Some good messages, like the fact that it's possible to be fulfilled by things (and relationships) other than a romantic partner. But I think the overall message of heternormativity and romance, particularly in middle school, is not great. The date with the guy who fetishizes Claudia's Japanese heritage is great, though. That was a huge, important issue that I would never have expected to find in a book like this one.
November 20, 2024
Good book. Inspired by her desire to find her perfect guy, Claudia starts a personals column in the school paper. She answers a few ads and goes on a few dates, but doesn't quite find her match. And like, I feel you, Claud, I truly do. Wait till you get older and the world shifts to online dating and you get so many more of those kinds of dates....sigh...
Still, she finds happiness and fulfilment from her work at the school paper. Coz she actually manages to make a few good matches, and she even helps another student connect with a therapist to process his feelings about his parents' divorce. So all is well.
The B plot is super sad, but also realistic, and I think the writer handled it really well. Marnie Barrett has developed an allergy to cats and dogs, which sucks for her siblings Buddy and Suzi, their mom Mrs Barrett, and the beloved family dog Pow. Buddy and Suzi are devastated at having to find Pow a new family, and I love how the book shows how anxious they are that he'll end up in a bad home or (yikes) being put down.
They snub Marnie for a while, and Marnie's 2 years old so she has no idea what's going on. And Pow needs to live in the garage while all this is being sorted, so the poor dog doesn't understand what's going on either and thinks he's being punished. (And yes, intellectually, I know it's wrong that the older kids take out their sadness over Pow on the younger sister, but as a cat mom, I truly felt for Buddy Barrett when he suggested they just give Marnie away instead of Pow. Especially coz I think at that point, the older kids may have had Pow around longer.)
And Mrs Barrett is in a tough spot coz she loves Pow too but Marnie's allergy is so severe it can't be managed with allergy meds. (Though honestly, part of me does wonder, now that they know what Marnie's allergic too, couldn't they have tried allergy meds for a while?!)
Fortunately, this subplot ends happily and still realistically.
There's a heartbreaking moment when But it's a good resolution nonetheless that keeps things as close to happy as possible, and I appreciate how the book treats this as the serious and difficult situation it is, for all involved.
Still, she finds happiness and fulfilment from her work at the school paper. Coz she actually manages to make a few good matches, and she even helps another student connect with a therapist to process his feelings about his parents' divorce. So all is well.
The B plot is super sad, but also realistic, and I think the writer handled it really well. Marnie Barrett has developed an allergy to cats and dogs, which sucks for her siblings Buddy and Suzi, their mom Mrs Barrett, and the beloved family dog Pow. Buddy and Suzi are devastated at having to find Pow a new family, and I love how the book shows how anxious they are that he'll end up in a bad home or (yikes) being put down.
They snub Marnie for a while, and Marnie's 2 years old so she has no idea what's going on. And Pow needs to live in the garage while all this is being sorted, so the poor dog doesn't understand what's going on either and thinks he's being punished. (And yes, intellectually, I know it's wrong that the older kids take out their sadness over Pow on the younger sister, but as a cat mom, I truly felt for Buddy Barrett when he suggested they just give Marnie away instead of Pow. Especially coz I think at that point, the older kids may have had Pow around longer.)
And Mrs Barrett is in a tough spot coz she loves Pow too but Marnie's allergy is so severe it can't be managed with allergy meds. (Though honestly, part of me does wonder, now that they know what Marnie's allergic too, couldn't they have tried allergy meds for a while?!)
Fortunately, this subplot ends happily and still realistically.
There's a heartbreaking moment when But it's a good resolution nonetheless that keeps things as close to happy as possible, and I appreciate how the book treats this as the serious and difficult situation it is, for all involved.
December 20, 2023
This one was actually pretty good. Despite the title Claudia doesn't find or have the perfect boy at any point in this book she thinks so in the end but there's a twist. So she decides to write a personals column in the school's paper. She soon has a hit on her hands. The school paper is selling out rapidly and everyone is eager to read the ads and find love. Soon Claudia has gained popularity and eventually evolves into an advice and matchmaking column. She does try to find her perfect guy but has all dud dates including Alan Gray who she won't even accept a date with which is hilarious given what happens in the Friends Forever series. One goes on and on about her being Japanese ugh. But she finds that she has a talent for writing and matchmaking which is what really matters. Love yourself and have confidence so others can love you right? In one funny part which proves Logan is a toxic dumb ass Mary Anne puts in an ad for Logan (why? Seriously you're 13 years old it's not that serious) and Claudia screws up the editing so it gets mixed up with another ad and Logan gets all pissy cause he's a whiny little bitch. Mary Anne you shouldn't have taken him back. Pete Black was so nice to you when you did that project together while Logan kept going out with Cokie to rub it in your face. You can do so much better and I know you learn that in the Friends Forever series but her attachment to him still annoys me. Anyway Claudia learns that she's worth more than she thinks with or without a boyfriend.
The b plot actually made me cry a little. The Barrett dog Pow needs a new home as Marnie has developed allergies. After reading books that took place later on like the super mysteries and Friends Forever and wondering how Pow ended up with the Pikes. I now have my answers but it sure was sad and also quite realistic. Her siblings hated poor Marnie for her allergies and poor Pow sleeping in the garage thought he did something wrong. But the Pikes agree to take Pow and they have a handing over ceremony and it's touching especially when Mrs. Barrett leads the kids back home and Pow tries to run after them and Mallory tells him he's home now.
This one had decent plots for both a and b and was enjoyable. It was nice seeing Claudia learn and grow as a character and it definitely took me back to when I was a kid when she was trying to figure out the computer. Yes I am that old. And Claudia loves the spell check feature. I'm sure anyone reading her column also does too. It was enjoyable and I stayed up later than usual to listen to the book. I'm still annoyed at how the narrator voices Stacey, she seriously sounds like a 90 year old smoker. Just why? But otherwise good book and the narration besides Stacey's voice was excellent.
The b plot actually made me cry a little. The Barrett dog Pow needs a new home as Marnie has developed allergies. After reading books that took place later on like the super mysteries and Friends Forever and wondering how Pow ended up with the Pikes. I now have my answers but it sure was sad and also quite realistic. Her siblings hated poor Marnie for her allergies and poor Pow sleeping in the garage thought he did something wrong. But the Pikes agree to take Pow and they have a handing over ceremony and it's touching especially when Mrs. Barrett leads the kids back home and Pow tries to run after them and Mallory tells him he's home now.
This one had decent plots for both a and b and was enjoyable. It was nice seeing Claudia learn and grow as a character and it definitely took me back to when I was a kid when she was trying to figure out the computer. Yes I am that old. And Claudia loves the spell check feature. I'm sure anyone reading her column also does too. It was enjoyable and I stayed up later than usual to listen to the book. I'm still annoyed at how the narrator voices Stacey, she seriously sounds like a 90 year old smoker. Just why? But otherwise good book and the narration besides Stacey's voice was excellent.
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September 20, 2016Awesome
January 19, 2011
wrote a detailed rview & goodreads ate it. not cool, goodreads.
so, the short version: claudia wants a boyfriend. somehow this leads to her editing a personal ad column in the stoneybrook middle school student newspaper. claudia responds to several ads & goes on a series of terrible dates. finally she runs an ad of her own & gets a response from the perfect guy...but he fails to include contact info. claudia goes nuts trying to learn his identity, & eventually stacey admits she wrote the ad to make claudia feel that the perfect guy was out there somewhere, even if she hasn't met him yet. claudia is angry at first, but gets over it. claudia also discovers that she has a talent for matchmaking.
in the B-plot, marnie barrett is diagnosed with a dog allergy, so the barretts have to get rid of pow. the pikes offer to adopt him, so buddy & suzi can still visit him whenever they want--the perfect solution for everyone.
pretty boring for a claudia book that is all about middle school dating disasters.
so, the short version: claudia wants a boyfriend. somehow this leads to her editing a personal ad column in the stoneybrook middle school student newspaper. claudia responds to several ads & goes on a series of terrible dates. finally she runs an ad of her own & gets a response from the perfect guy...but he fails to include contact info. claudia goes nuts trying to learn his identity, & eventually stacey admits she wrote the ad to make claudia feel that the perfect guy was out there somewhere, even if she hasn't met him yet. claudia is angry at first, but gets over it. claudia also discovers that she has a talent for matchmaking.
in the B-plot, marnie barrett is diagnosed with a dog allergy, so the barretts have to get rid of pow. the pikes offer to adopt him, so buddy & suzi can still visit him whenever they want--the perfect solution for everyone.
pretty boring for a claudia book that is all about middle school dating disasters.
October 18, 2023
Good message for those who can't find a partner. Claudia started a matchmaking column for the school paper and went on a few dates that didn't go well. The first was with a guy into swimming, sketching and comedy, but he didn't talk much during the date and she was snarking him in her head, judging him for not doing “real art” after he talked about putting together models of cars and sketching them, and for what he ordered to eat(egg and salad sandwich with milk). The second was with a guy named rock who had a tattoo that Claudia didn't like, along with him stereotyping what she’s into cause of being Asian, and the third was at a video game place. Also, I think it's unrealistic and not really safe to share contact information the way they did in the paper, and the reality is, not everyone in junior high is allowed to date and the book didn't address that.
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