The Baby-Sitters Club Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Baby-Sitters Club Wiki

Stacey's Ex-Best Friend is the 51st book in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin.

Back Cover Summary[]

Stacey can't wait! Her best friend from New York, Laine Cummings, is coming to Stoneybrook for a whole week. Laine can spend a day at SMS, attend club meetings, and maybe even go to the Valentine Dance.

But the minute Laine arrives, things don't go as planned. Laine thinks Stacey's sleepover with her friends is so childish. And she can't believe Stacey's still into baby-sitting. Laine's used to hanging out at high school parties. She even has a fifteen-year-old boyfriend!

Stacey doesn't want to lose her childhood friend. But Laine's growing up way too fast for Stacey. Is this the end of their friendship?

Summary[]

When her best friend Laine comes to Stoneybrook for a visit, Stacey realizes that life in New York City may have changed Laine for the worse, making her too mature and snobby for her own good.

Subplot[]

The BSC throws a Valentine’s Day Masquerade Party for their charges. All the guests have to sign their cards with a code.

Characters[]

Stacey's Family

BSC Members

Kids

Pre-teens

Teenagers

Adults

  • Mr. Marshall (mentioned)
  • Mrs. Cummings (mentioned)

Locations[]

Pop Culture and Real-Life References[]

  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Joy Luck Club
  • Black Beauty
  • The Limited
  • HSN
  • Fiorrucci

Continuity and Inconsistencies[]

Continuity

Inconsistencies

  • Stacey doesn't have a phone in her room anymore, despite that she had one before.
  • Laine attends a club meeting in chapter 9. But in other books, Kristy says meetings are serious and non-club members can only attend if they are interested in joining the club.
  • In chapter 15, Stacey writes Laine a goodbye letter. She includes half of a Best Friends necklace that Laine gave her in Welcome Back, Stacey!. But in that book, the necklace was half of a gold locket. And in that book, Stacey told her mother that she’d wear it every day. But in this book, she takes the necklace out of her jewelry box.

Ann M. Martin's Dear Reader Letter[]

Dear Reader,

In Stacey’s Ex-Best Friend, Stacey and the members of the Baby-sitters Club plan a Valentine’s Day party for their sitting charges. I love writing about Valentine’s Day. In fact, every time I’m plotting a BSC or a Baby-sitters Little Sister book that will be published in February, I ask my editor if Valentine’s Day can be one of the themes.

When I was young, I always looked forward to Valentine’s Day. In elementary school, a week or so before Valentine’s Day, we would make folders out of red construction paper and tape them to the fronts of our desks. During the next few days whenever kids brought their valentines into class they would walk around the room and distribute them in the folders. We were not supposed to open them until our class party on Valentine’s Day. The year I was in fifth grade, I decided to make all of my valentines instead of buying them in the store. I had a lot of fun, but I was a little embarrassed by them and wondered if they were as good as store-bought ones. So I decided not to sign them. I thought I could give them to my classmates anonymously. What I hadn’t counted on was that I would be the only student not to sign her cards. So by process of elimination, everyone had figured out exactly who made the cards. But I still love sending Valentine’s Day cards. In fact, I send cards for every possible occasion. But now I’ve learned to sign them.

Trivia[]

  • This is one of the few times Kristy cancels a club meeting because of the dance.
  • Laine starts calling Stacey by her full name.
  • Dates
  • This is Laine's last appearance in the main series, but she shows up again in the Friends Forever book Stacey's Problem.
  • Nicky and Marilyn had a crush on each other.
  • Claudia has a rag doll named Lennie that she brings with her to a sleepover.
  • Carolyn has a crush on James Hobart.
  • Stacey and Laine used to have a telephone code.
  • The Hobarts wanted to get dressed up for the Valentine's Day party.
  • Ben and Mallory had a fight about the card catalog.
  • Laine gets a cashier job which technically would be illegal since she's 13.
  • The book Laine is reading is made up.
  • Stacey once bought a China clown from the Home Shopping Network.
  • The tri-state area is New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
  • Stacey's doctors have told her to gain weight.
  • Charlie painted his car four different times and decorates it.
  • Stacey and Laine's friendship officially ends.

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)
Advertisement