Claudia's Freind Friend is the 63rd book in The Baby-Sitters Club series.
Back Cover Summary[]
Claudia's in big trouble at school. If she fails one more English test, she's not going to pass the class. No one seems to understand how hard it is for Claudia to do well.
No one except Shea Rodowsky. Shea has a learning problem, which makes schoolwork extra frustrating for him. Shea hates feeling stupid just as much as Claudia does. But together, they're going to show those teachers just how smart they can be!
Summary[]
Shea Rodowsky gets diagnosed with dyslexia and Claudia along with the BSC tutors him. Meanwhile Claudia needs to pass an English test since she's in danger of failing. Stacey tutors her, but they get into a fight because Stacey is strict.
Subplot[]
Some of the BSC clients sent them notes to surprise them. The Arnold Twins, Rodowsky's, and the Braddocks treat them at the Rosebud Café.
Characters[]
Claudia's Family
BSC Members
Kids
- Archie, Shea, and Jackie Rodowsky
- Bill, Skylar, and Melody Korman
- Jordan, Adam, Byron, Vanessa, and Claire Pike
- James Hobart (mentioned)
- Haley and Matt Braddock (mentioned)
- Buddy Barrett (mentioned)
- Hannie and Linny Papadakis
- David Michael Thomas and Emily Michelle Brewer
- Arnold Twins
- Jenny Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Jamie and Lucy Newton
Teenagers
- Austin Bentley
- Cokie Mason (mentioned)
- Grace Blume (mentioned)
- Bart Taylor
Preteens
- Ben Hobart
- Curtis Shaller - Jessi's date
Adults
- Mrs. Hall
- Mrs. Rodowsky
- Mrs Danvers - Shea's teacher (mentioned)
- Woman taking a walk near SES
- Mr. Braddock
- Mrs. Newton
Locations[]
- Stoneybrook Middle School
- Kishi House
- Rodowksy House
- Stoneybrook Elementary School - just the baseball field
- Brewer/Thomas House
- Rosebud Cafe
Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]
- When I Am Old (poem)
- Fame (1980 movie)
- Harriett the Spy (book)
- Groucho Marx
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- Claudia remembers her art show from Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street, staying at Shadow Lake with the Brewers in Baby-sitters at Shadow Lake, teaching Emily Michelle in Claudia and the Great Search
- Kristy remembers Susan Felder from Kristy and the Secret of Susan.
- Kristy remembers when Cokie and Grace sent weird notes to the BSC in Kristy's Mystery Admirer.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]
Dear Reader,
In Claudia’s Freind Friend, Shea Rodowsky is diagnosed as having dyslexia. I wanted to write a book about learning disabilities because my sister has dyslexia. However, this is not the first book I’ve written about the subject. I’ve also written a non-Baby-sitters Club book called Yours Turly, Shirley, about a nine-year old girl named Shirley Basini and her difficult year in fourth grade. The idea for the title, Yours Turly, Shirley, came from one of my students the year I taught fourth and fifth graders in Connecticut. The boy, who had dyslexia, made me an elaborate Christmas card. With a ballpoint pen, on a folded sheet of notebook paper, he drew Santa Claus standing next to a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. Inside the card he wrote, “Dear Miss Martin, a very very very very very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!!!!!!! Yours turly, Jimmy.” I treasured the card and saved it for years, and when it came time to title the book about Shirley, I thought of Jimmy. I thought of him again, and of other kids I’ve known, when I wrote about Shea. I decided Claudia would be especially understanding of Shea because she has problems in school herself.
Trivia[]
- Claudia is in danger of failing English.
- Claudia likes Austin Bentley—he makes her top ten cute guys list.
- Kristy has good jeans.
- Stacey‘s school in New York had a program where kids tutored their classmates. Stacey would’ve been a math tutor if she hadn’t moved back to Stoneybrook.
- Claudia gets distracted easily.
- Stacey taught Claudia the word kvetching.
- In Claudia’s Book, she was briefly in a school for students with learning disabilities in the fourth grade. This was likely when her parents had her tested for learning disabilities.
- Kristy owns a denim skirt and wears it in this book.
- Janine cleans her room every Saturday morning.
- Pink is Nannie's color
- Claudia once took a calligraphy class.
- Spring Dance at the Community Center dates include
- Logan and Mary Anne
- Bart and Kristy
- Mallory and Ben
- Jessi and Curtis
- Stacey and Sam
- Claudia and Austin
- Dawn and Pete
- Shannon and a boy from her school
- The book is sometimes listed as Claudia's Friend without the misspelling in advertisements in the back of books. This is not the working title since it was not noted on the Ann M. Martin papers in Smith College's archives.
Gallery[]
