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!
Summary
Main Plot
There is a big fight between the Baby Sitters Club members! Mary Anne hates arguments and is really upset. Not one of the members is speaking to another BSC member. Mary Anne has to eat lunch by herself — until Dawn Schafer, the new girl (at school and in the town) asks to sit down! The two become friends and Kristy is jealous. The BSC members fight for over a month. When Mary Anne has to handle an emergency on the job without any help from the BSC — things get complicated. Mary Anne has to learn to stand up for herself — starting with her over-protective father.
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?
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.
