Kristy and the Secret of Susan is the 32nd book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin.
Back Cover Summary[]
Kristy's newest baby-sitting charge is Susan Felder, who goes away to a special school. Susan isn't like most kids. While she can play the piano and sing beautifully...she can't talk to anyone. Susan is autistic. She lives locked inside her own secret world.
Kristy thinks it's unfair that Susan has to be sent off to school and is treated differently from everyone else. But Kristy's going to try to change that — by showing everyone that Susan's a "regular" kid, too. And then maybe Kristy's new friend can stay in Stoneybrook for good.
Summary[]
When Kristy starts babysitting for 8-year-old Susan Felder, she discovers that while Susan has autism she has special abilities, such as playing the piano and memorizing dates on a perpetual calendar.
Kristy is determined (as usual) to help Susan make friends while she is there for her summer holidays, and maybe even convince Mrs. Felder to send Susan to Stoneybrook Middle School- in the class for handicapped kids instead of going to a special boarding school.
Kristy did help her make one true friend - James Hobart, but when kids from the neighborhood want to see Susan‘s special abilities in person, Kristy is too naive to see that the kids were using Susan as a spectacle of entertainment.
It later turned out that Mel Tucker was charging kids $1 to see Susan in action. Also, he and his friends were talking about Susan behind her back such as when Gina called her the incredible retard who can memorize dates and music. The amazing dumbo who can sing but not talk.
At the end Mrs. Felder announces that she is pregnant with her new baby, Hope, who will become Susan’s younger sister.
Subplot[]
The Hobarts, an Australian family consisting of Johnny (4), James (8), Mathew (6) and Ben Hobart (11), move into Mary Anne’s old house. At first no one is accepting because of their Australian accents even though they have the same skin color, and get called Crocs. Later though, when they finally get accepted, Johnny is invited to Jamie Newton’s house, and James is invited to Zach’s birthday, Mathew gets the lead role in the school play, and Ben go to the movies with Mallory Pike.
Characters[]
Kristy's Family
- Kristy Thomas
- David Michael Thomas
- Sam Thomas
- Charlie Thomas
- Karen Brewer
- Andrew Brewer
- Emily Michelle Brewer
- Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer
- Watson Brewer
- Nannie
BSC Members
Kids
- Susan Felder
- James, Johnny, and Mathew Hobart
- Adam, Byron, Jordan, Vanessa, Nicky, Margo and Claire Pike
- Mel Tucker
- Zach Wolfson
- Kathie, Gina - girls that lived in the neighborhood asking Susan question.
- Jamie Newton
- Matt and Haley Braddock (mentioned)
- Jenny Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Jackie Rodowsky (mentioned)
Pre-teens
Adults
- Mr. and Mrs. Felder
- Madeleine Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Mrs. Hobart
Locations[]
- Thomas/Brewer House
- Kishi House
- Felder House
- Pike House
Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]
- Crocodile Dundee
- Swatch watches
- Reebox shoes
- The Gorilla Man, The Wizard of Oz, The Music Man (movies)
- Songs Susan plays include:
- Way Down Upon the Swanee River (really called Old Folks at Home)
- Monster Mash
- The Sheik of Araby
- Big bird and Oscar the Grouch
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- On page 33 Kristy recalls how Jessi had a regular sitting job with the Braddock Family in Jessi's Secret Language.
Inconsistencies
- Charlie drops Kristy off at Susan's house after school when the Felders’ house is established to be closer to SMS than the Thomas/Brewer house is. So if she were heading there straight from SMS, she could’ve walked.
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]
Dear Reader,
Kristy and the Secret of Susan is based partly on my experiences as a therapist with autistic children during the summers I was in college. While there was no real Susan Felder, I met lots of kids like Susan and lots of families facing the same challenges Susan’s parents face in the book. Autistic kids are very special, and I will always remember the kids I worked with. In fact, Kristy and the Secret of Susan is not the only book I’ve written centering around an autistic child. Before the Baby-sitters Club began I wrote Inside Out, told from the point of view of an older brother whose younger brother has autism. If you’re interested in learning more about kids like Susan, check your library for Inside Out, or ask a librarian to suggest other titles.
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of Susan Felder; she will appear again in Baby-sitters' European Vacation. This is also the first introduction of the Hobart Family.
- Dawn comes over early and hangs out with Claudia to watch the new neighbors move in.
- Claudia remembers the Felders well, but Kristy doesn't (she has no memory at all of Susan).
- Since this book was published in 1990, the research about being autistic savant is outdated compared to newer studies. It's unclear if the book will be updated if/when it gets republished.
- The Pikes used to be called the spiders since there are eight of them (like the eight legs of a spider).
- James Hobart is in Nicky's class.
- Some Australian English includes: Brecky (breakfast), jumper (sweater), fairy floss (cotton candy), pen friends (pen pals), lolly (lollipop), telly (TV), maths (math).
- Exclusively Australian things include: Weetbix cereal and vegemite (a kind of food).
- The 8th graders don't see the sixth graders very often.
- Kristy didn't notice Mallory's crush on Ben at first.
- Sam and Charlie are both broke.
- SMS hosts an assembly that's called kids week when they have an author and song writer visit the school.
- When Mary Anne guesses what it could be about she includes: a food fight between some seventh graders, the dress code, and student government.
- Although never shown, Claudia has met Mr. Hobart.
- Kristy says that there have been very few jobs where she doesn't feel like going to them.
- Kristy doesn't know what to do when an adult cries, especially one that she doesn't really know.
- Kristy mentions that Elizabeth wrote a letter to Karen's camp counselor about Karen's dislike of turnips before she left.
- Claudia tries to pick the front door lock with a bobby pin which doesn't work. While a bobby pin wouldn't unlock a door lock, it can unlock a padlock.
- Stacey starts being tired which foreshadows her getting sick in Stacey's Emergency.
- The ebook removes all instances of the word "retarded".
Gallery[]
