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Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever is the 62nd book in The Baby-Sitters Club series.

Back Cover Summary[]

The big news in Kristy's neighborhood is that the Papadakis family is getting a foster child. The Baby-sitters think taking in a troubled child is a really special thing to do. Kristy's sure the new kid will fit right in.

Only Lou (and don't call her Louisa!) turns out to be a terror. She's rough and tough, and none of the kids want to play with her.

Kristy knows she should feel sorry for Lou. But Kristy's even sorrier that she has to baby-sit for her!

Summary[]

Lou's aunt and uncle take Lou and her older brother Jay in. Kristy notes at Lou's going away party that Lou will be one sitting charge the BSC will never forget. Lou gets a new puppy that she names Happy, and sends a letter to Kristy.

Subplot[]

There's an auction at school to raise money for new computers. The BSC tries to donate the best gifts; Kristy and her friends donate items from celebrities that they get when they write and free baby-sitting time. Some donations include: One student’s parents had donated dinner for two at their French restaurant.  Another student, whose parents ran a sporting goods store, had donated an expensive new baseball glove. Cokie donated a three-minute shopping spree at Power Records.

The BSC's Donations includes:

  • Kristy: Lorne Conners, whose album had won four Grammies [sic] the year before, had sent her an amazing T-shirt — with her autograph scrawled across the front and an autographed photograph of J.C. Kalisi, one of the first women ever to win an Olympic gold medal in track.
  • Jessi received old toe shoes and a note from a famous prima ballerina.
  • Mallory: one of her favorite authors sent a boxed set of her books, each one autographed and a warm-up blanket belonging to the horse that had most recently won the Kentucky Derby, and a note from the horse’s trainer.
  • Stacey: a baseball autographed with the names of the entire baseball team that had just won the pennant.
  • Mary Anne: a Cam Geary jacket that he wore in one of his movies.
  • All together: Twenty-four (24) hours of baby-sitting to be scheduled at the convenience of the purchaser, donated by the Baby-sitters Club of Stoneybrook.

Meanwhile Jessi babysits the Craines and takes them for a walk to SMS, and the girls are amazed.

Characters[]

Kristy's Family

BSC Members

Kids

Preteens

Teenagers

Adults

Locations[]

Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]

  • The Wizard of Oz
  • Popeye
  • Déjà vu (60s song)
  • Little Women
  • Monopoly
  • Cabbage Patch Babies
  • Big Bird
  • Baryshnikov
  • A Little Princess
  • The Great Gilly Hopkins
  • Cole Porter

Continuity and Inconsistencies[]

Continuity

  • Kristy remembers the infant care class from Kristy and the Baby Parade. Jessi also remembers Andrea winning the stroller division.
  • Patrick is still living in California

Inconsistencies

  • Logan bids on a pair of pearl earrings for Mary Anne, despite the fact that she doesn't have pierced ears.
  • SMS doesn't have a playground but had one in The Truth About Stacey


Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]

Dear Reader,

For a long time I had wanted to write a story about foster children. One day my editors and I had a meeting and tried to figure out what the next year’s worth of Baby-sitters Club books would be about. We thought of ideas for twelve books, and decided that #35 would be the story about foster kids. We also decided that a great title for this book would be Stacey and the New Kids on the Block (the “new kids” being foster kids who move into Stacey’s neighborhood).

Now, keep in mind that it takes a year to make a book. The author has to write the story, of course, and the story has to go to the printer and be set in type. Also, an artist has to make a painting for the book cover. It’s a long process! I began to work on books #32, #33, and #34. At the same time, #35 had already been advertised as Stacey and the New Kids on the Block. Lots of kids saw the ad and thought the story was going to be about the singing group, which had suddenly become really popular. Readers were very disappointed when #35 was finally published and they discovered that the book did not star Jon, Jordan, Joe, Donnie, and Danny. In fact, it wasn’t about foster children, either. My editors and I had gotten excited about an idea for a mystery, and we decided to postpone the story about the foster child until this book, Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever. And I had to answer a lot of letters about what happened to the book involving the New Kids on the Block. See what can happen when you change your mind?

Trivia[]

  • Lou's hair and clothing change from the original printing to the reprint in effort to make them look more feminine in an tomboyish way.
  • Sam still works for the A&P
  • Andrew’s not crazy about dogs, although he liked Louie and he likes Shannon, too.
  • Kristy does extra studying.
  • Dawn wraps her sandwiches in wax paper.
  • Mary Anne may not remember her mother, but she still thinks about her and wonders what she was like.
  • Mrs. Barrett called during a meeting time.
  • Kristy used and still does pick the shortest books for book reports.
  • This is the second appearance of the Craine girls.
  • Claudia gives Kristy a make over at the sleepover.
  • Mary Anne tricked Kristy by saying that she liked the Fritos dipped in butterscotch pudding, which made Kristy gag.
  • The cover is described in chapter 10.
  • Kristy likes getting new sweaters and even has a favorite.
  • Stacey said her parents took her with them to an auction at an art gallery in the East Village in New York once
  • Kristy donated and bought an autographed photograph of J.C. Kalisi, one of the first women ever to win an Olympic gold medal in track. She's one of her heroes.
  • The BSC's group donation of free baby-sitting went for over a hundred dollars.

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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