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Mary Anne and the Memory Garden is the 93rd book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin.

Back Cover Summary[]

After a fun winter break, Mary Anne is glad to be back at SMS. She's excited about her English project, and optimistic about the weeks ahead.

Nothing could have prepared Mary Anne for the awful news that Amelia Freeman, a friend and a partner on her English project, has suddenly died.

Everyone at school is shocked and saddened. Gradually the other kids recover. But Mary Anne only feels worse. If only she could do something for Amelia...

Main Plot[]

Subplot[]

Characters[]

Mary Anne's Family

BSC Members

Kids

Pre-Teens

Teenagers

Stoneybrook

California

Adults

Stoneybrook

California

  • Cynthia DeWitt
  • Mrs. McKinsey - neighbor of the DeWitts
  • James L. Cruickshank
  • Carol Olson
  • Mr. Clune - Client of the We Love Kids Club

Locations[]

Stoneybrook

California

  • DeWitt House
  • Vacant Lot
  • Tuscan Arizona (mentioned)
  • Winslow House

Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]

  • William Shakespeare
  • Rube Goldberg
  • Casper the Friendly Ghost
  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Ann Landers
  • Sir Francis Drake
  • Edmund Spenser
  • Mary Queen of Scotts
  • Jeep Cherokee
  • Raggedy Anne & Andy
  • Amazing Grace
  • Volkswagen
  • The Secret Garden
  • We're Off to See the Wizard (song)

Continuity and Inconsistencies[]

Continuity

Inconsistencies

Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]

Dear Reader:

Every year I receive 15,000 letters from readers of the Baby-sitters Club books. Over the years I have received many letters requesting a story dealing with the death of a classmate. The letters were from kids who had experienced this themselves and thought that reading about the subject might make them and others feel better. I had also received letters about the problem of drunk driving. And so this was the beginning of Mary Anne and the Memory Garden.

Some kids told me that they wanted to find a meaningful way to remember the person they had lost, but didn’t know what to do. This is the problem Mary Anne experiences in the book. Several years ago, when friends of mine died tragically, people close to them got together and decided to remember them with a project that eventually became the Lisa Novak Libraries. People throughout the country donate new books to be sorted into libraries for children. A memorial doesn’t have to be quite that big; it can be as simple as a scrapbook, or a garden like Mary Anne’s. People may leave, but memories live on forever.

Trivia[]

  • None of the BSC members baby-sit in this book and the sitting chapters are Dawn's in California.
  • Richard used to put up the Christmas tree a week before the holiday and take them down by new year. Since his and Sharon's wedding they put it up the day after Thanksgiving.
  • Sharon doesn't know the lyrics to songs that aren't Christmas related.
  • One of Dawn's favorite treats are honey granola snaps.
  • Trevor Sandbourne has a new girlfriend in this book.
  • Going to the mailbox is one of Mary Anne's favorite things to do.
  • The BSC doesn't call their clients by their first names.
  • The BSC has taken a first aid course as mentioned on page 64.
  • Kristy starts the Stoneybrook chapter of S.A.D.D.
  • The guy who hit the Freeman family has been stopped four times for drunk driving and didn't have a driver’s license.
  • Abby and Claudia were the only BSC members to lose a close relative.
  • The BSC sends flowers for Amelia's funeral.
  • It's mentioned that Ben baby-sits his own brothers sometimes.
  • Mary Anne wears a navy blue plaid skirt and nice sweater to Amelia's funeral.
  • Carol has a friend that makes birdhouses.
  • Claudia announces Peaches Benedict is pregnant in chapter 15.
  • The Freemans have moved to Stoneybrook at some point as mentioned on page 145.
  • The Berkhoff family donated the bench.
  • Stoneybrook Middle School built a garden in the courtyard in honor of Amelia.
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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