- This article is about the original novel. For the graphic novel, see Mary Anne Saves the Day (Graphic Novel). For the Netflix episode, see Mary Anne Saves the Day (episode).
Mary Anne Saves the Day is the fourth book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin.
Back Cover Summary
Mary Anne has never been a leader of the Baby-sitters Club. She's left that up to Kristy... or Claudia... or Stacey. But now there's a big fight among the four friends, and Mary Anne doesn't have them to depend on anymore.
It's bad enough when she's left alone at the lunch table at school. But when she has to baby-sit a sick child without any help from her friends, Mary Anne knows it's time to take charge.
The Baby-sitters Club is going to fall apart unless somebody does something — fast. Maybe it's time for Mary Anne to step in and save the day!
Main Plot
During a meeting of the Babysitters Club, Mary Anne and Kristy are both available for a job baby-sitting Karen and Andrew. Mary Anne lets Kristy have the job. Mrs. Newton calls needing a sitter for Jamie and Lucy. Kristy takes the job without bothering to check who is available. Claudia then calls her a job hog. Stacey then points out to Claudia that she does it lots of times, and before you know it, all three are at each others' throats. Stacey reminds everyone that she's from New York and doesn't need shy little babies (Mary Anne), stuck-up job hogs (Claudia), and bossy know-it-alls (Kristy) as friends.
This causes Mary Anne to cry. Kristy then tells her to shut up and calls her a crybaby. Mary Anne then snaps and calls everyone mean names and runs home and cries. She then angrily prepares dinner for herself and her father. Her father then comes home and they ask God to watch over Alma (Mary Anne's deceased mother). Then she escapes to her room and decides not to tell her father about the fight. She thinks about calling Claudia, since Claudia didn't say anything mean directly to her. She is, however, not allowed on the phone after dinner. When she is ready for bed, she tries to apologize to Kristy using the flashlight code that they use. Kristy simply pulls her shade down. Then Mary Anne realized how angry Kristy was.
Subplot
After the BSC makes up, Mary Anne asks Dawn to join The Baby Sitters Club, and she accepts! Will Dawn be a good club member? Is she responsible enough? Nothing Dawn can't prove! Mary Anne and Dawn also discover that their parents knew each other in high school and they dated! Can Dawn and Mary Anne rekindle the love that they shared that ended tragically?
Characters
Spier Family
BSC Members
Kids
- Jenny Prezzioso
- David Michael Thomas
- Mallory, Jordan, Adam, Byron, Vanessa, Nicky, Margo, and Claire Pike
- Jamie Newton
- Kids at Jamie's party
Pre-teens
- Dawn Schafer
- Shillaber Twins (mentioned)
- Trevor Sandbourne (mentioned)
- Pete Black (mentioned)
- Howie Johnson (mentioned)
- Rick Chow (mentioned)
- Dorianne Wallingford (mentioned)
- Emily Bernstein (mentioned)
- Alexander Kurtzman (mentioned)
- Jo Deford - student who sits with Kristy and the twins at lunch (mentioned)
Adults
- Mimi Yamamoto
- Tabitha Porter (Morbidda Destiny) (mentioned)
- Sharon Schafer
- Madeleine and Nick Prezzioso
- Elizabeth Thomas (mentioned)
- Unnamed doctors
- Mrs. Newton
Locations
- Spier House
- Kishi House
- Pike House
- Thomas House - just the outside of it
- Schafer House
- Prezzioso House
- Washington Mall (mentioned)
- Stoneybrook General Hospital (mentioned)
- Stoneybrook Middle School
- Newton House
Pop Culture and Real-Life References
- A Wrinkle in Time, Blueberries for Sal, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, Pippi Longstocking, The Phantom Tollbooth (books)
- Peter Rabbit
- Humpty Dumpty
- Alice in Wonderland
- Spiderman
- Winnie-the-Pooh
- TV guide
- The Parent Trap
- The Odd Couple
- Chuck Norris
- Connie Francis, Shelley Fabres, Brenda Lee, The Shirelles, the Marvelettes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (singers)
Continuity and Inconsistencies
Continuity
- Mary Anne recalls the Baby-sitters Agency from The Truth About Stacey in the first couple of pages and alluded to on page 160.
Inconsistencies
- Mary Anne tells Dawn that her mother grew up in Maryland. But in every other book where Mary Anne’s mother is talked about, it’s said that she grew up in Iowa.
- Mary Anne says that Kristy was too upset to go to school the day after her parents announced that they were getting divorced. But in Kristy's Book, in the third section (On Our Own), it’s said Patrick left Elizabeth when he just didn’t come home from work one day. Elizabeth called his boss, who told her that Patrick quit his job and moved west.
- When Mary Anne has the party at her house with the girls they make Stacey a hamburger since she "can't eat the processed cheese in pizza because of her diabetes" yet she still has pizza multiple times later in the series. However, this really reflects the changes in diabetes research and treatment over time.
- In early editions of the book, Alma's name is Abigail instead.
- In chapter 13 when Mary Anne asks Richard if he knew Sharon, he says he did. He says that after college she moved to California and they lost touch. But other books say that Sharon‘s parents sent her to college in California to get her away from Richard because the Porters didn’t approve of him.
Differences in the Reprints
- Mr. Prezzioso initially pays Dawn and Mary Anne ten dollars each in the 1987 and 1995 novels. In the 2020 novel he pays them double what the BSC normally charges
Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader letter
Dear Reader,
In Mary Anne Saves the Day, the members of the Baby-sitters Club face their first real emergency. When Mary Anne realizes that Jenny is running a very high fever, she calls 911. If you’re a baby-sitter, or planning to be one, it’s important to find out whether you can call 911 for help in your community. If you can’t, you should find out what numbers to call to reach the police, or in case of a medical emergency, or fire. Remember, in any emergency, try to stay calm and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
When you’re baby-sitting, you’ll always feel better if you’re prepared. A great way to get prepared is to take a course in baby-sitting. Check in your town to see if any are offered by your hospital, YMCA, or Red Cross. Ask your school nurse or teacher for information. If you want to read about baby-sitting emergencies, look in your local bookstore or library for The Baby-Sitters Club Guide to Babysitting.
Trivia
- While illustrator Joel Iskowitz created the final cover artwork of the original cover of the book, this artwork was based on a rejected illustration by Dale Dyer, so Dyer can be credited with the artwork's general format.
- The graphic novel version of "Mary Anne Saves the Day", written by Raina Telgemeier, was the third BSC graphic novel published.
- This is the first introduction of Dawn into the main series.
- This is also the first time we see Dawn's house, which is described as smaller then it is later in the series.
- In the 1987 edition, the book dedicated to "the real Claire and Margo, Claire DuBois Gordon and Margo Méndez-Peñate, Class of 2006" who were Ann's students. The 1995 edition says "This book is for Beth McKeever Perkins, my old baby-sitting buddy. With love (and years of memories)."
- Kathy, the regular sitter for David Michael, finally quit since the first three books.
- Jobs that Claudia has taken and not asked the others about includes: the Pikes, Charlotte, and the Marshalls.
- Mary Anne's room hasn't changed since she was 2.
- Mary Anne has walked to school without Kristy 4 times in her life and sometimes walks with Claudia.
- Initially Mary Anne thought that Dawn "wasn't exactly pretty but pleasant looking."
- Jobs lined up but not seen: Stacey for Charlotte, Claudia for David Michael, Claudia for the Marshalls, Kristy for the Newtons and Brewers.
- Kristy doesn't show up to a BSC meeting (not calling ahead) to go to the Shillaber twins' house.
- This is the first time the Prezziosos called the BSC, although the girls know who Jenny is because she's friendly with the Pikes.
- Mr. Prezzioso calls Mary Anne Mary Lou by mistake.
- This is the first time we see a sitting a job for all of the Pikes. In the first three books, Claire, Margo, and Mallory were seen.
- Mary Anne considered calling Dawn for a sitting job when she and Kristy were fighting.
- Mary Anne used to go through her parents yearbooks until she was 9.
- Jamie celebrates a birthday in this book.
- Sharon moved to California after college, so it's unclear which school she went to, but it wasn't the same as Richard’s.
- This is the only BSC book with 16 chapters, usually the books last 15 chapters.
- Richard and Sharon planned a date right after seeing each other for the first time since high school.
- Dawn officially joins the BSC.