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Abby in Wonderland is the 121st book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin.

Back Cover Summary[]

Abby loves her family's visits to Grandpa Morris and Gram Elsie's summer house. Staying there has always meant extra fun and a special closeness with her grandparents. This summer, though, Gram Elsie doesn't seem to be herself. She tires easily, even when she and Abby are enjoying work on Gram and Grandpa's big Alice in Wonderland party. Abby's afraid something's wrong with Gram Elsie. If she's right, Abby's world may become as topsy-turvy as Alice's...

Main Plot[]

Abby, Anna, and their mom are headed out to the Hamptons for a vacation with Gram Elsie and Grandpa Morris, Mrs, Stevenson's parents. They throw themselves a big anniversary party every year, and this year, the theme is "Alice in Wonderland." Abby is really excited about hanging out on the beach, seeing her grandparents, and helping them get ready for their party.

She's also got Kristy coming up for a visit for a week. Right away, though, Abby notices that something isn't right with her grandparents. Grandpa Morris insists on going with Gram Elsie to some appointment she has in town, and then Abby overhears Gram on the phone, confirming that she's going to having something checked out.

After that, Abby watches her grandmother much more closely, but no more clues about what might be wrong come to the surface. Then, Gran Elsie sends Abby into the house to get a copy of the party menu. When Abby's looking for it, she finds all sorts of information about breast cancer...and the likely answer to what's wrong with Gram Elsie.

People have started RSVPing for the party, and Gram Elsie has been disappointed with how many aren't coming. Abby decides to give her grandmother a treat, and she starts surreptitiously calling people who've said no and trying to convince them to come. She also decides she needs to find out more about breast cancer, so she heads to the library the first chance she gets. Abby finds quite a bit of scary information, but also lots of information that's encouraging.

The comfort that she got from being informed kind of goes out the window when she sees Gram Elsie again. Reading articles and books and statistics is one thing; it's a totally different ball game when it's someone you know.

When Gram goes upstairs for a nap, Abby tries to get Grandpa Morris to tell her what's wrong with her grandmother. All she can get out of him is that planning the party is taking a lot out of Elsie. The day of the party arrives, finally. Everything is going well, and many of the guests that had said they weren't coming show up, thanks to Abby.

Then, Gram Elsie and Grandpa Morris give a very touching speech about how much everyone means to them, and how important family and friends are. This is too much for Abby; she runs inside the house, crying. Gram Elsie finds her, and Abby finally confesses that she knows about Gram's cancer. Gram confirms that she possibly does have breast cancer. The appointment that Abby had heard her talking about on the phone was for a biopsy, and the results haven't come back yet. Gram lets Abby know that even if it is cancer, she intends to fight it and do treatments. It is not revealed whether or not the lump was cancerous.

Subplot[]

The Pikes can't afford to go to Sea City because their vacation fund went to fix the car, so the kids create their own beach vacation in their own backyard.

Characters[]

Abby's Family

Extended Family

  • Elsie Goldberg
  • Morris Goldberg
  • Miriam Goldberg
  • Daniel Goldberg
  • Aunt Jean
    • Amy and Sheila (Jean's daughters) (mentioned)
  • Leah (Abby's great aunt, Elsie's sister)
  • Iris (Elsie's sister, Abby's great aunt) (mentioned)
  • Larry (Morris' brother, Abby's great uncle) (mentioned)
    • Sam and Billy (Larry's children) (mentioned)
  • Izzy (Morris' brother, Abby's great uncle)

BSC Members

Kids

Pre-Teens

Teenagers

  • Corley - Anna's friend from Long Island
  • Logan Bruno (mentioned)

Adults

Locations[]

  • Stevenson House
  • Kishi House
  • The Hamptons
    • Elsie and Morris' vacation house
    • Library
    • Shopping Area
  • Pike House
  • Ferry
  • Pizza Express

Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]

  • Beach Boys
  • Mozart
  • Anne Frank
  • Nancy Drew
  • Alice in Wonderland, Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, Les Miserable, A Funny Thing Happened on the Forum (plays)
  • Time Magazine
  • Weight Watchers

Continuity and Inconsistencies[]

Continuity

Inconsistencies

Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]

Dear Reader,

In Abby in Wonderland, Abby secretly discovers that her grandmother may have cancer, which makes Abby feel helpless. It’s never easy learning that a member of your family faces a serious medical problem, but as Abby found, one of the best things you can do is learn as much as possible about the illness. It also helps to be able to talk to your family to share information and feelings. One nice thing that often happens when a family member is sick is that the rest of the family pulls together to help out. When my father had open-heart surgery, my family and also our friends rallied around with support, food, advice, phone calls, and visits, all of which made my father’s recovery smoother and quicker. You don’t need to throw a big party to show your love for someone — the little things count just as much.

Trivia[]

  • This book comes right after the events of Baby-sitters' European Vacation.
  • This is one of the few books where Dawn is shown along the side bar of characters on the cover.
  • Abby's grandparents have a summer house in the Hamptons
  • Abby sleeps until 10:30.
  • Anna is organized and redoes Abby's suitcase
  • Stacey and Abby aren't close.
  • People in Stoneybrook go through Bridgeport ferry to Port Jefferson to get to Long Island.
  • The Stevenson's drive past their old house.
  • There are seagulls that hang out by the dumpster at the supermarket according to Claire.
  • Elsie is making a family history of her side of the family.
  • Abby's grandparents are technology savvy.
  • Abby's part German and Russian.
  • The Pikes have a sandbox.
  • Kristy misses a BSC meeting and visits Abby. It's unclear who is president when there is no president or alternate, but it would likely be the vice president (Claudia)..
  • Abby and Kristy spot a celebrity couple while in the Hamptons. Kristy goes to get the sportscasters autograph.
  • Kristy forgot to bring a costume to the costume party.
Baby-Sitters Club Books
The Summer Before | #1 Kristy's Great Idea | #2 Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls | #3 The Truth About Stacey | #4 Mary Anne Saves the Day | #5 Dawn and the Impossible Three | #6 Kristy's Big Day | #7 Claudia and Mean Janine | #8 Boy-Crazy Stacey | #9 The Ghost at Dawn's House | #10 Logan Likes Mary Anne! | #11 Kristy and the Snobs | #12 Claudia and the New Girl | #13 Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye | #14 Hello, Mallory | #15 Little Miss Stoneybrook... and Dawn | #16 Jessi's Secret Language | #17 Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery | #18 Stacey's Mistake | #19 Claudia and the Bad Joke | #20 Kristy and the Walking Disaster | #21 Mallory and the Trouble with Twins | #22 Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter | #23 Dawn on the Coast | #24 Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise | #25 Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger | #26 Claudia and the Sad Good-bye | #27 Jessi and the Superbrat | #28 Welcome Back, Stacey! | #29 Mallory and the Mystery Diary | #30 Mary Anne and the Great Romance | #31 Dawn's Wicked Stepsister | #32 Kristy and the Secret of Susan | #33 Claudia and the Great Search | #34 Mary Anne and Too Many Boys | #35 Stacey and the Mystery of Stoneybrook | #36 Jessi's Baby-Sitter | #37 Dawn and the Older Boy | #38 Kristy's Mystery Admirer | #39 Poor Mallory! | #40 Claudia and the Middle School Mystery | #41 Mary Anne vs. Logan | #42 Jessi and the Dance School Phantom | #43 Stacey's Emergency | #44 Dawn and the Big Sleepover | #45 Kristy and the Baby Parade | #46 Mary Anne Misses Logan | #47 Mallory on Strike | #48 Jessi's Wish | #49 Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street | #50 Dawn's Big Date | #51 Stacey's Ex-Best Friend | #52 Mary Anne + 2 Many Babies | #53 Kristy for President | #54 Mallory and the Dream Horse | #55 Jessi's Gold Medal | #56 Keep Out, Claudia! | #57 Dawn Saves the Planet | #58 Stacey's Choice | #59 Mallory Hates Boys (and Gym) | #60 Mary Anne's Makeover | #61 Jessi and the Awful Secret | #62 Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever | #63 Claudia's Freind Friend | #64 Dawn's Family Feud | #65 Stacey's Big Crush | #66 Maid Mary Anne | #67 Dawn's Big Move | #68 Jessi and the Bad Baby-sitter | #69 Get Well Soon, Mallory! | #70 Stacey and the Cheerleaders | #71 Claudia and the Perfect Boy | #72 Dawn and the We Love Kids Club | #73 Mary Anne and Miss Priss | #74 Kristy and the Copycat | #75 Jessi's Horrible Prank | #76 Stacey's Lie | #77 Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever | #78 Claudia and Crazy Peaches | #79 Mary Anne Breaks the Rules | #80 Mallory Pike, No. 1 Fan | #81 Kristy and Mr. Mom | #82 Jessi and the Troublemaker | #83 Stacey vs. the BSC | #84 Dawn and the School Spirit War | #85 Claudia Kishi, Live From WSTO! | #86 Mary Anne and Camp BSC | #87 Stacey and the Bad Girls | #88 Farewell, Dawn | #89 Kristy and the Dirty Diapers | #90 Welcome to the BSC, Abby! | #91 Claudia and the First Thanksgiving | #92 Mallory's Christmas Wish | #93 Mary Anne and the Memory Garden | #94 Stacey McGill, Super Sitter | #95 Kristy + Bart = ? | #96 Abby's Lucky Thirteen | #97 Claudia and the World's Cutest Baby | #98 Dawn and Too Many Sitters | #99 Stacey's Broken Heart | #100 Kristy's Worst Idea | #101 Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout | #102 Mary Anne and the Little Princess | #103 Happy Holidays, Jessi | #104 Abby's Twin | #105 Stacey the Math Whiz | #106 Claudia, Queen of the Seventh Grade | #107 Mind Your Own Business, Kristy! | #108 Don't Give Up, Mallory! | #109 Mary Anne to the Rescue | #110 Abby the Bad Sport | #111 Stacey's Secret Friend | #112 Kristy and the Sister War | #113 Claudia Makes Up Her Mind | #114 The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier | #115 Jessi's Big Break | #116 Abby and the Best Kid Ever | #117 Claudia and the Terrible Truth | #118 Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer | #119 Stacey's Ex-Boyfriend | #120 Mary Anne and the Playground Fight | #121 Abby in Wonderland | #122 Kristy in Charge | #123 Claudia's Big Party | #124 Stacey McGill... Matchmaker? | #125 Mary Anne in the Middle | #126 The All-New Mallory Pike | #127 Abby's Un-Valentine | #128 Claudia and the Little Liar | #129 Kristy at Bat | #130 Stacey's Movie | #131 The Fire at Mary Anne's House
Super Specials
#1 Baby-sitters on Board! | #2 Baby-sitters' Summer Vacation | #3 Baby-sitters' Winter Vacation | #4 Baby-sitters' Island Adventure | #5 California Girls! | #6 New York, New York! | #7 Snowbound | #8 Baby-sitters at Shadow Lake | #9 Starring the Baby-sitters Club #10 Sea City, Here We Come! | #11 The Baby-sitters Remember | #12 Here Come the Bridesmaids! | #13 Aloha, Baby-sitters! | #14 BSC in the USA | #15 Baby-sitters' European Vacation
Portrait Collection
Stacey's Book | Claudia's Book | Dawn's Book | Mary Anne's Book | Kristy's Book | Abby's Book
Other
The Baby-Sitters Club Notebook (1987) | The Baby-Sitters Club Postcard Book (1991) | Trivia & Puzzle Fun Book (1992) | Ann M. Martin: The Story of the author of the Baby-sitters Club (1993) | The Baby-Sitters Club Guide to Babysitting (1993) | The Baby-Sitters Club Chain Letter (1993) | The Baby-Sitters Club Secret Santa (1994) | Audio Books on Cassette Tape (1994-5) | BSC Movie Novelization (1995) | The Complete Guide to the Baby-Sitters Club (1996) | Autograph Book (1998) | BSC Graphic Novels (2006-present) | We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers (2021) | Welcome to Stoneybrook: A Guided Journal (2021) | The Official Coloring Book (2023)
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