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Kristy and the Mother's Day Surprise is the 24th book in the original The Baby-Sitters Club Series. Kristy and The Baby-sitters Club plan a huge outing as a surprise for their clients.

Back Cover[]

Mother's Day is coming up, and the Baby-sitters have the same problem they do every year: What do they get their mothers? Kristy, especially, wants to do something nice for her mom. Mrs. Brewer has been acting kind of strange and secretive lately, and Kristy's worried about her.

But then Kristy gets another one of her great ideas. Why don't the Baby-sitters treat their moms—and the mothers of the kids they sit for—to a day off without any kids around?

Together with Stacey, the Baby-sitters plan a gigantic baby-sitting party. It's a Mother's Day surprise that couldn't be beat!...until Kristy's mom reveals a very special surprise of her own.

Summary[]

Main Plot[]

Kristy decides to give the mothers of some of their charges a day off by taking the kids to a carnival, feeding them lunch, play at the park, and then take them back to Claudia's house for crafts & stories. Stacey even comes up to Stoneybrook for the weekend since they are watching 21 kids.

Subplot[]

Meanwhile, Kristy's mother, Elizabeth and stepfather, Watson have been dropping hints about having another child. Kristy thinks that her parents want to get pregnant, but in the end, they adopt a 2-year-old Vietnamese girl named Emily Michelle Thomas-Brewer, who comes home on Mother's Day.

Characters[]

Kristy's Family

BSC Members

Kids

Teenagers

Adults

  • Mrs. Newton (mentioned)
  • Mrs. Perkins (mentioned)
  • Mrs. Barrett (mentioned)
  • Mrs. Rodowsky (mentioned)
  • Dr. Johanssen (mentioned)
  • Mr. Newton (mentioned)
  • Mr. Perkins (mentioned)
  • Mr. Ramsey (mentioned)
  • Mr. Rodowsky (mentioned)
  • Mr. Braddock (mentioned)

Locations[]

  • Brewer/Thomas House
  • Kishi House
  • Newton House

Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]

  • Titanic
  • Home on the Range
  • Sesame Street
  • Brian's Song, Love Story (movies)
  • Beaver Cleaver
  • P.T. Barnum
  • Wheel of Fortune
  • The Addams Family
  • Where the Wild Things Are, One Morning in Maine, The Cat in the Hat, If I Ran the Circus, Paddington (books)
  • Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Continuity and Inconsistencies[]

Continuity

Inconsistencies

  • Elizabeth mentions the flashlight code that Kristy and Mary Anne used before Kristy moved. Elizabeth says Kristy made it up. But in Kristy’s Great Idea, Kristy says Mary Anne invented their flashlight code.
  • Claudia mentions Funland (an amusement park) in chapter 6. In Karen's Lucky Penny, Karen, Andrew, and some of their friends take a trip to Funland. But in that book, Funland is said to be new.

Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]

Dear Reader:

In Kristy and the Mother’s Day Surprise, Kristy is thrilled when Emily Michelle joins the family. It’s been a long time since there was a baby in my family. I was two years old when my sister Jane was born. I’ve been told that when my parents brought Jane home from the hospital, my mother knelt down and opened up her arms to me. She hadn’t seen me in a week. I started running, then shot right past her to my father, who was holding my new baby sister.

I might have ignored my mother then, but I never forgot her on Mother’s Day. Here are ways you can honor someone special on Mother’s Day: Cook an easy meal. Do chores around the house. Make her a card. Or give her the day off, just like the members of the Baby-sitters Club did.

Trivia[]

  • From the original cover to the reprint, Kristy's face changes and she goes from wearing no hat to wearing a red baseball cap.
  • A reprint is set to come out on April 4th 2023 [1].
  • It's mentioned that Sam baby-sits his siblings in this chapter.
  • This is the first time Stacey returned to Stoneybrook since her move in Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye.
  • Kristy wasn't sure if she wanted anymore siblings.
  • Families that were invited but couldn't come were: the Arnold Twins, Betsy Sobak, the Papadakasises, and the Delaney's. It's most likely because they have other plans for Mother's Day.
  • Stacey had gotten a haircut prior to seeing the BSC.
  • Mr. Pike watches Marnie during the event so Natalie could have the day off.
  • Mr. Kishi helps with the kid's lunches.
  • Kristy thinks that Karen develops a crush on Shea Rodowsky.
  • This is the first appearance of Emily Michelle Brewer in the series.

Gallery[]

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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