Abby and her twin sister, Anna, recently turned thirteen. They are preparing for their Bat Mitzvah, which is a big deal for the twins and their mother. And now, just when Abby should be acting like an adult, she is caught cheating on a math test and is suspended from school. Even though Abby didn't cheat, she refuses to tell what really happened. She even keeps the suspension a secret from her mother.
Abby is heading for big trouble on the biggest day of her life. Will she be able to get it together without disappointing everyone — including herself?
Summary
Abby Stevenson is struggling in math class. When she fails a math test, she tells her mother that her math teacher, Ms. Frost, didn't care, and Mrs. Stevenson comes to Stoneybrook Middle School to confront Ms. Frost, even though Abby didn't tell her mother the whole story. She later buys a study guide from Brad Simon but it turns out to be the actual test. Abby and four other students are suspended for three days, but Abby hides the notices of her suspension from her mother and spends Monday and Tuesday in the Stoneybrook Public Library. On Wednesday, however, she goes shopping and stops for lunch at Pizza Express, where she is caught by her mother. Abby is grounded for a month with no sleepovers, no visits from friends, no phone privileges, and no parties (but she's still allowed to babysit and engage in her after-school activities).
On Thursday (after her suspension), she sees Mary Anne buying a similar "study guide" from Brad, and at the end of the school day, the two girls tell Ms. Frost about what happened. She believes them and apologizes for not believing Abby before. She also gives Abby the chance to retake the test after school next week. On the week of Bat Mitzvah, Abby gives a speech talking about the story of her suspension and talks about the responsibilities of a mature young adult. It ends with a sleepover for the BSC and Anna playing her violin instead of reciting her speech.
Subplot
Some of the clients are banned from watching too much TV. The girls try to keep the kids from watching too much before they decide to write the ending to one of their shows, Boo Hoo, Cassandra Clue.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter
Dear Reader,
Abby’s Lucky Thirteen is the second book narrated by our newest BSC member, Abby Stevenson. Abby is a lot of fun to write about because she’s so passionate, and she’s so different from the other club members. And I was also particularly happy to write about this very important time in her life, her Bat Mitzvah.
Although I like Abby’s personality, I’m much more like her twin, Anna. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah is highly important to Anna, but she’s terrified of giving a speech — one of the most important parts of the ceremony. I hate speaking in public, too. And I always thought that as I grew older it might become easier, but it never did. Even now when I’m on tour, I love meeting kids individually and signing books for them, but I never give talks. Stage fright has been such a big problem for me that I even wrote a book about it. And guess what the title is: Stage Fright!
Trivia
This book, and the first Abby book Welcome to the BSC, Abby! are the only reprint books not to include the narrator's scrapbook. Later books would include Abby's scrapbook with images from her Portrait Collection book, Abby's Book.