Abby and the Secret Society is the 23rd book in The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery series.
Back Cover Summary[]
When Abby signs the BSC up to help reopen a country club that's been closed for twenty years, the girls find more than just cobwebs to clear away. There's decades-old mystery to solve, too: The murder of a reporter who was investigating a secret society, dealing in blackmail and worse, based inside the country club.
Following the reporter's cold trail of clues won't be easy, but that's never stopped the BSC!
Summary[]
Abby is bored because there's not much to do: sports don't come around until spring and summer, and it's still February. However, when she finds an ad in the SMS newspaper for a job at the new country club, the Greenbrook club, she immediately gets excited and discusses it with the rest of the BSC.
Mary Anne is paranoid that bad things could happen as the Greenbrook Club used to be the Dark Woods Country Club. She mentions it was an elitist, discriminatory, very exclusive country club that built up a bad reputation over the past, and shut down twenty years ago. Claudia suggests that it's a new club under a new owner and it's likely the things Mary Anne mentioned were just the past. Thus, the BSC decides to sign up for jobs at the country club.
During their first day of work, the BSC meets Nikki Stanton-Cha, the new owner of the Greenbrook club, along with her son Stephen. Things run smoothly on the first day. On the second day, Mary Anne and Abby find Sergeant Johnson around the grounds of the club. They sit down and talk, and Sergeant Johnson says he has been around the club to investigate dirty doings at Dark Woods.
He explains that his late friend, David Follman, an investigator, went undercover to investigate the rumor about a secret society operating out of the club, however, died before he could publish his findings. Sergeant Johnson says that the last thing Follman said to him was "Watch Where You Step," which might be a riddle.
On the next day, Kristy trips over a rug, and finds mirror writing under it. The mirror writing says '1954, DF' in purple-red letters. The BSC finds out that the writing is written in wine, and Follman probably wanted whoever read it to look in the wine cellar for a 1954 wine. Together, they find the next clue which is 'Open WWII".
The BSC argues for a while over what "Open WWII" could mean. Meanwhile, the BSC members are each in charge of cleaning up the area. Abby, Claudia, and Stacey are put in charge of cleaning up the clubhouse. They find no clues, but when Abby and Alan Gray get into a fight and Alan says, "What do you want, a trophy?" Abby manages to put two and two together and comes up with the conclusion that they should look for the trophies for the Dark Woods Open, won in the years of WW2.
The BSC then finds another clue that says, "Shelter Favorite Food." They ask Sergeant Johnson for context but he has no luck figuring it out. Meanwhile, Nikki Stanton-Cha and Abby hatch a plan together to invite the former Mayor of Stoneybrook, a cruel man who was suspected to be involved in the blackmail and extortion based in the country club, to the Greenbrook club for a tour.
Subplot[]
The BSC charges form their own kids club called the Slate Street Kids Club. When Jenny Prezzioso, Claire Pike, and Stephen Stanton-Cha are denied membership they make their own club, the Blue Ribbon Club. They are rivals and eventually combine the two clubs.
Characters in this book[]
Abby's's Family
BSC Members
Kids
- Stephen Stanton-Cha
- Brian Williams - boy Mallory has sat for
- Jordan, Adam, Byron, Vanessa, Nicky, Margo, and Claire Pike
- Charlotte Johanssen
- Haley and Matt Braddock
- Arnold Twins
- Jake Kuhn
- Becca Ramsey
- Jenny Prezzioso
Teenagers
- Janine Kishi (mentioned)
- Cokie Mason
- Alan Gray
- Cary Retlin
- Rick Chow (mentioned)
Adults
- Nikki Stanton-Cha
- Darcy - decorator at the Greenbrook Club
- Mr. Kawaja - caretaker of the Greenbrook Club
- Ms. Cureton - architect at the Greenbrook Club
- Sergeant Johnson
- David Follman (mentioned)
- Mrs. Williams - woman who calls the BSC
- Christopher Armstrong
- Mr. Braddock (mentioned)
- Dee Pike (mentioned)
- Dr. Johanssen (mentioned)
- Madeleine Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Granny Porter (mentioned)
- Pop-Pop Porter (mentioned)
Places in this book[]
- Stevenson House
- Kishi House
- Stoneybrook Middle School
- The Greenbrook Club
- Stoneybrook Elementary School (mentioned)
- Braddock House - just the side yard
- Stoneybrook Public Library (mentioned)
- Stanton-Cha House - the yard
- Pike House - the yard
Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]
- Abby and Mary Anne sing Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las. Dancing in the Street by Martha And The Vandellas, Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes, My Boyfriend's Back by Martha And The Vandellas, and Stop in the Name of Love by the Supremes on page 44.
- There's a Diana Ross reference on page 45.
- There's a reference to The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and The Lion King on page 58.
- Motown
- Mozart
- Pringles
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- There's a reference to Baby-sitters Beware on page 45-46.
Inconsistencies
Trivia[]
- This book's working title was Lucy and the Secret Society[1]. This title is a reference to the original placeholder name before Abby was chosen for the new sitter.
- Abby talks to her skies in the first chapter.
- Richard almost didn't like Mary Anne work at the Greenbrook Club.
- There's a job board at SMS so kids can find odd job work.
- The BSC has been going through a dry spell.
- Dawn has a bike in Stoneybrook that Kristy borrows and Abby borrows Janine's bike.
- Cary was only working at the Greenbrook Club because he needed money and Cokie to be a hostess.
- Claudia has an interest in architecture.
- Unseen jobs include: Claudia for an unknown client on page 49.
- Mallory is the first to sit for Stephen.
- There is little baby-sitting except for jobs with Stephen.
- Jenny Prezzioso thinks that Carolyn Arnold is fun to play with.
- Claudia talks about the Cold War on page 129.