Hello, Mallory is the fourteenth book in the original The Baby-Sitters Club series. Following Stacey's move to New York City, the club invites 11-year old, former sitting charge, and 6th grader Mallory Pike and her new friend Jessi Ramsey to join the club.
Back Cover Summary[]
Mallory Pike has always wanted to be a member of the Baby-sitters Club. The Baby-sitters are so much fun to be around and so grown-up. Now the club members have invited Mallory to a meeting. This might be her big chance!
But the Baby-Sitters don't make it easy. First, Claudia makes Mal feel like a baby on her first official baby-sitting job. Then, they give her a written test—with questions nobody could answer!
Mallory's beginning to think she doesn't want to be part of the Baby-sitters Club. Maybe with her new friend Jessi she'll start a club of her own...
It's time to show those Baby-sitters what couple of a new girls can do!
Summary[]
Main Plot[]
Mallory is invited to a meeting of the Baby-Sitters Club. At the meeting, Mallory tries to impress the other girls by telling them how she babysat for six of her brothers and sisters while her parents took her brother, Nicky, to the hospital after he injured his finger during volleyball with his friend, Buddy.
The other girls think that Mallory wasn't being responsible enough and could've prevented Nicky's accident. The girls will let Mallory join the club if she takes a baby-sitting test and goes on a trial baby-sitting job with Claudia.
When Mallory takes the test, the girls ask her a lot of questions such as teething, how to use a tourniquet, and they have her draw a picture of the digestive system. Mallory ends up failing the test.
Mallory goes with Claudia to baby-sit for the Perkins girls, but Claudia constantly watches over her, making Mallory feel nervous and stupid. At the next club meeting, Claudia gives Mallory a low rating on her sitting job. Kristy tells Mallory she can't join the club unless she takes another test. Mallory refuses and she quits the club.
Mallory and her new friend, Jessi Ramsey start their own baby-sitting club called Kids' Incorporated. Meanwhile, the other members of the BSC feel like they treated Mallory unfairly and she deserves to have another chance.
The girls offer to give Mallory another chance to join the club. Mallory agrees only if Jessi can join the club as well. In the end, both Mallory and Jessi become members of the Baby-Sitters Club.
Subplot[]
A new family, the Ramseys, moves into the neighborhood and they are black. The family consists of: Jessica "Jessi", Rebecca "Becca", and John Phillip Jr. "Sqiurt". Jessi and she has a hard time adjusting to being the only black girl in the 6th grade. The students would make rude comments like "She doesn't belong there" and "She is black". One of the students, Benny Ott, shoots a rubber band at Jessi.
One day in the lunchroom, Mallory introduces herself to Jessi and they become close friends. Mallory also introduces Becca to Charlotte Johanssen and they become best friends.
Mrs. Perkins has a baby girl named Laura Elizabeth, and Myriah & Gabbie are happy to have a baby sister.
Characters[]
Mallory's Family
- John Pike
- Dee Pike
- Mallory Pike
- Pike Triplets: Jordan, Adam, Byron
- Vanessa Pike
- Nicky Pike
- Margo Pike
- Claire Pike
BSC Members
Kids
- Myriah, Gabbie, and Laura Perkins
- Jamie and Lucy Newton
- Buddy, Suzi, and Marnie Barrett
- Amy - girl who lives across the street from the Ramseys and plays with Becca
- Charlotte Johanssen
- Jenny Prezzioso (mentioned)
Preteens
- Jessi Ramsey
- Benny Ott—student that recently moved to Stoneybrook and shoots a rubber band at Jessi Ramsey
- Rachel Robinson—student and friend that used to sit right next to Mallory
- Sally and Anita—girls who sit at the the lunch table with Mallory and makes fun of Jessi Ramsey for being black
Teenagers
- Alan Gray (mentioned)
Adults
- Mr. Perkins
- Mrs. Perkins
- Amy's mother—racist neighbor of the Ramseys' and welcome woman in Stoneybrook
- Madeleine Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Mrs. Newton
- Natalie Barrett
- Hamilton Barrett (mentioned)
Locations[]
- Pike House
- Ramsey House
- Perkins House
- Kishi House
- Barrett House
- Newton House
Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]
- Dr. Dolittle, The Incredible Journey, Freaky Friday, Impossible Charlie, A Morgan for Melinda, The Lightning Time, The Chronicles of Narnia (books)
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Pavlova
- The Nutcracker and Swan Lake (ballet)
- Legos
- Winnie-the-Pooh
- Superman
- King Kong
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- It’s narrated that everyone remembers (except Dawn) when Lucy Newton was born.
- Mary Anne recalls when Claire brought her butter for her sunburn from Boy-Crazy Stacey.
- Kristy recalls when Mallory helped with the playgroup in Kristy's Big Day.
- Mimi's stroke from Claudia and Mean Janine is brought up in chapter 15.
Inconsistencies
- While at the Perkins’ house, Claudia tells Mallory that the kids shouldn't pick their own snack and should make something healthy. It's been shown in previous books and future ones that Claudia lets the kids pick whatever they want.
- In the first edition of the book, Jessi says she was born on September 13th, but in later editions, Jessi says she was born on June 30th.
- At the end of chapter 10, when Dawn is speaking it briefly says “I asked” even though it’s from Mallory’s perspective.
- Dawn tells Mallory that the BSC had trouble with club members who weren’t reliable. She could be talking about Janet and Leslie from The Truth About Stacey. Dawn wasn’t a BSC member at the time, but she might’ve heard about them from one of her friends, or read about them in the club notebook.
- Mallory says that she's the only member of her family with curly hair, but in the graphic novels, Vanessa has curly hair.
- Mallory says that Nicky and Vanessa and herself all wear glasses full-time. In later books, Mallory is the only one who wears her glasses full-time.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]
Dear Reader,
In Hello, Mallory, Mallory Pike, formerly a sitting charge of the Baby-sitters Club, finally becomes a full-fledged member herself. In earlier books, Mallory had expressed frustration at having a baby-sitter when she felt she was a perfectly capable baby-sitter herself. Also, I had received a number of letters from readers asking for a younger member of the BSC, since many readers were Mallory’s age or younger. Then I decided that Mallory needed a best friend, so I created one for her — Jessi Ramsey.
Although I usually compare myself to Mary Anne, I am like Mallory Pike in several ways. I am the oldest in my family (even though I have only one younger sister and no brothers). I was just as horse-crazy as Mallory is. And I enjoyed writing and illustrating stories. Like Mallory, I also had a mouthful of braces, which I hated!
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of Jessi Ramsey.
- This is also the first appearance of the Ramsey Family in the series.
- The barber that the Pikes go to is Mr. Gates.
- Mallory's homeroom desk has graffiti on it.
- Mallory doesn't have a best friend despite being friendly with those in her grade.
- Jessi is introduced wearing reading glasses which is rarely brought up in other books. It's also noted that she likes to joke and will have to get braces; the braces are not mentioned again.
- The BSC creates Mallory's test overnight since it wasn't planned until Mallory tells them about how Nicky broke his finger.
- Mrs. Perkins has Laura in this book.
- Claire only goes to morning kindergarten.
- Mrs. Pike hired a cleaning service to prepare for a party sometime prior to this book.
- The Pikes have a toy printing press.
- Buddy Barrett visits his dad in this book.
- Stacey calls in chapter 14.
- Mallory's trial job was with Claudia at the Perkins house first and then the Newton's house second.
- Jessi's trial job was at the Rodowsky's house.
Gallery[]
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