This book starts out with Kristy talking about how she doesn't like snobs, and then she describes her new neighborhood as being full of snobs because the older teenagers are given cars as soon as they can drive and the houses on their street mostly have swimming pools, tennis courts, and a cook named Agnes. Watson's house has none of those things. I was under the impression that being a snob was more about attitude and looking down on people who can't afford the nicer things, but apparently just having a swimming pool makes you an automatic snob, which is good to know.
Anyway, Kristy gets up for school and puts on her clothes. She says that ever since school started she's been wearing jeans, a turtleneck, a sweater, and sneakers. I have probably mentioned it on this blog before, but in fifth grade, I wanted to be like Kristy so on school picture day, I put on a turtleneck under a sweater and went to school. Unfortunately pictures were taken early in the school year and it was still hot outside, so in the picture I am about the color of a ripe tomato. I have not worn a turtleneck under a sweater since. So what I'm saying is, Kristy must get really warm, since this book takes place in the fall. Kristy goes to the bus stop and while she is waiting for her bus, she sees some girls wearing a private school uniform and immediately judges them to be snobs. The girls and Kristy fling a few mean comments back and forth until Kristy's bus gets there, and she gets on and sticks her tongue out at the snobs, because Kristy is apparently six years old.
I have the new cover version of this book, so it is not pink like it should be. Kristy, who is not wearing a sweater in the picture, is walking Louie and has met Shannon Kilbourne and Amanda Delaney who are out walking their pets. This is the first time we are introduced to Astrid of Grenville, the Bernese Mountain Dog, and also to Priscilla the purebred Persian, who cost four hundred dollars. For some reason I always liked that Amanda and Max would tell everyone how much their cat cost. Shannon makes some rude comments about Louie, because he is bedraggled and he stinks because he just got back from the vet. Bitch.
There are some chapters where the club sits for Max and Amanda Delaney who are bossy and rude, but then Stacey decides to use reverse psychology on them and it makes them behave. I think my favorite part of this book is this bit of dialogue the first time Kristy sits for Amanda and Max:
But when a commercial came on, Amanda said, "Get me a Coke, Kristy."
"What do you say?" I replied in a singsong voice. When you have a little brother, a littler stepbrother, and a little stepsister, you find yourself repeating this all the time, as a reminder to say "please" and "thank you."
"I say, 'Get me a Coke,'" Amanda repeated dryly.
"Get me one, too," said Max.
Love it. Love the Delaney kids.
Shannon is mad that her clients are calling the BSC, so she plays some lame pranks on Kristy while she is babysitting, like calling and telling her the Papadakis's house is on fire, and Kristy plays lame pranks back. Finally Shannon calls and orders a pizza while Kristy is sitting, and Kristy sends the pizza to Shannon's house instead, and Shannon comes over with it and Kristy threatens to throw the pizza at Astrid and then she will be a "pepperoni mountain dog." This stupid bit of dialogue causes Shannon to start laughing and stop playing pranks on Kristy instead of making her roll her eyes and make fun of her even more, I don't even know.
Louie has been getting sicker and sicker through the book and the decision is made to have him put to sleep, and it's very sad. They have a funeral for Louie and Karen invites a bunch of the neighborhood kids including Shannon, who attends the funeral despite being a teenager who is not a family member of the dog in question. Because that's a thing that happens. The family each says one nice thing about Louie.
Later, the club decides to invite Shannon to be an associate member, so that she can still get sitting jobs now that the BSC has moved into her territory. Be one of us or don't sit, because the parents of Stoneybrook will happily drop their long-term sitters if someone shoves a flyer into their mailbox.
