What do you think?
Rate this book
The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #9
Claudia and the New Girl: A Graphic Novel
A brand-new Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adapted by newcomer Gabriela Epstein!
Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class... until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different: She wears hippie clothes and has multiple earrings, and she's the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met.
Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she's wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia has to make a decision -- one of them has to go!
Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class... until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different: She wears hippie clothes and has multiple earrings, and she's the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met.
Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she's wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia has to make a decision -- one of them has to go!
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 2, 2021
1299 people are currently reading
4216 people want to read
About the author
Gabriela Epstein
8 books116 followersGabriela Epstein (she/her) is a NYT bestselling comic artist based in Austin, TX.
Originally from Philly, she studied oil painting at the PA Academy of the Fine Arts before getting her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She later worked as a character designer in TV animation before switching to comics.
Gabriela has illustrated BABY-SITTERS CLUB #9 Claudia and the New Girl and #11 Good-Bye Stacey, Good-bye, as well as the bilingual graphic novel, INVISIBLE, for Scholastic Graphix.
Currently, she is writing and illustrating the Danny Phantom comic continuation for Abrams Books, DANNY PHANTOM: A GLITCH IN TIME and its sequel.
Originally from Philly, she studied oil painting at the PA Academy of the Fine Arts before getting her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She later worked as a character designer in TV animation before switching to comics.
Gabriela has illustrated BABY-SITTERS CLUB #9 Claudia and the New Girl and #11 Good-Bye Stacey, Good-bye, as well as the bilingual graphic novel, INVISIBLE, for Scholastic Graphix.
Currently, she is writing and illustrating the Danny Phantom comic continuation for Abrams Books, DANNY PHANTOM: A GLITCH IN TIME and its sequel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 408 reviews
February 7, 2022
Claudia is an artist and she loves drawing, sketching, and foraying into sculpting. She also loves the Baby-sitters club and babysitting. When a new girl, Ashley joins the school and Claudia finds out that Ashley is also an artist, she gets excited. Ashley tells Claudia that Claudia is an amazing artist and she should not waste her time on anything else and just focus on her art only. Claudia starts to miss The Baby-sitters club meetings along with a couple of other things. Would Claudia be able to juggle everything?
I usually enjoy The Baby-sitters club series graphic novels but this was bad. I have not read the original Baby-sitters club books but I understand that this is supposed to be about toxic friendships. Well, it certainly achieved that as everyone was acting toxic and petty in this and this had plot holes. I don't know which timeline are these graphic novels supposed to be set up in but up until now, I thought they seemed to be in the late eighties or the early nineties. But in this graphic novel, Ashley had a mobile phone and that too with a smart touch screen so I am confused. No other reviewers even mentioned this. Am I the only one who noticed this or did I have a completely wrong idea about the timeline of this?
The art was good and I liked how Claudia ended up prioritizing things in the end. It was a good lesson for everyone that we may like a few different things in our lives and it is okay to not devote most of our time to just one thing.
2 stars
I usually enjoy The Baby-sitters club series graphic novels but this was bad. I have not read the original Baby-sitters club books but I understand that this is supposed to be about toxic friendships. Well, it certainly achieved that as everyone was acting toxic and petty in this and this had plot holes. I don't know which timeline are these graphic novels supposed to be set up in but up until now, I thought they seemed to be in the late eighties or the early nineties. But in this graphic novel, Ashley had a mobile phone and that too with a smart touch screen so I am confused. No other reviewers even mentioned this. Am I the only one who noticed this or did I have a completely wrong idea about the timeline of this?
The art was good and I liked how Claudia ended up prioritizing things in the end. It was a good lesson for everyone that we may like a few different things in our lives and it is okay to not devote most of our time to just one thing.
2 stars
January 8, 2024
Claudia meets a new girl in her English class, Ashley from Chicago, who loves art and sculpting just as much as she does. Ashley ends up being in her pottery class too and they hit it off, talking about art and spending lots of time together. Claudia ends up missing some BSC meetings because she is so busy hanging out with Ashley. Her BSC friends are mad because Claudia is missing meetings, and Ashley is mad because Claudia is spending too much time babysitting. Claudia has to figure out her priorities and who her real friends are. I was so proud of Claudia for standing up to Ashley and letting her know that she wants to spend time with the BSC and on her art. Claudia was able to make things right with the BSC and all become friends again. She realized that the BSC girls were her true friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2022
Claudia is an artist and she loves drawing, sketching, and foraying into sculpting. She also loves the Baby-sitters club and babysitting. When a new girl, Ashley joins the school and Claudia finds out that Ashley is also an artist, she gets excited. Ashley tells Claudia that Claudia is an amazing artist and she should not waste her time on anything else and just focus on her art only. Claudia starts to miss The Baby-sitters club meetings along with a couple of other things. Would Claudia be able to juggle everything?
I usually enjoy The Baby-sitters club series graphic novels but this was bad. I have not read the original Baby-sitters club books but I understand that this is supposed to be about toxic friendships. Well, it certainly achieved that as everyone was acting toxic and petty in this and this had plot holes. I don't know which timeline are these graphic novels supposed to be set up in but up until now, I thought they seemed to be in the late eighties or the early nineties. But in this graphic novel, Ashley had a mobile phone, and that too with a smart touch screen so I am confused. No other reviewers even mentioned this. Am I the only one who noticed this or did I have a completely wrong idea about the timeline of this?
The art was good and I liked how Claudia ended up prioritizing things in the end. It was a good lesson for everyone that we may like a few different things in our lives and it is okay to not devote most of our time to just one thing.
2 stars
I usually enjoy The Baby-sitters club series graphic novels but this was bad. I have not read the original Baby-sitters club books but I understand that this is supposed to be about toxic friendships. Well, it certainly achieved that as everyone was acting toxic and petty in this and this had plot holes. I don't know which timeline are these graphic novels supposed to be set up in but up until now, I thought they seemed to be in the late eighties or the early nineties. But in this graphic novel, Ashley had a mobile phone, and that too with a smart touch screen so I am confused. No other reviewers even mentioned this. Am I the only one who noticed this or did I have a completely wrong idea about the timeline of this?
The art was good and I liked how Claudia ended up prioritizing things in the end. It was a good lesson for everyone that we may like a few different things in our lives and it is okay to not devote most of our time to just one thing.
2 stars
February 6, 2021
our first bsc graphic novel with new artist gabriela epstein! like with the transition from raina telgemeier to gale galligan, this transition isn't quite seamless, but is close enough to fool most kids. the book was just as subtexty (claudia x ashley = clashley) as the source material, but I can't pretend I wasn't hoping for the gayness to be explicit rather than implied.
three notes about the adaptation that are worth mentioning: first, though everyone still makes fun of ashley's style, she's much more alternative/punk than the described boho style in the original book. secondly, there is one two-page spread where ashley's face is smack dab in the middle of the panel, so we lose her facial expression (a mistake that, I suspect, epstein will probably not make again). thirdly, in the scene where claud makes rice krispies treats with the rodowskys, the actual recipe is included, which is a really lovely touch!
three notes about the adaptation that are worth mentioning: first, though everyone still makes fun of ashley's style, she's much more alternative/punk than the described boho style in the original book. secondly, there is one two-page spread where ashley's face is smack dab in the middle of the panel, so we lose her facial expression (a mistake that, I suspect, epstein will probably not make again). thirdly, in the scene where claud makes rice krispies treats with the rodowskys, the actual recipe is included, which is a really lovely touch!
July 6, 2021
July 2021
Content Rating: yellow
CWs:
I know the “new girl” Ashley was supposed to be the toxic friend in this story, but I think the BSC members were being toxic too. The whole club treated her completely out of proportion to her actions. The first time Claudia said she was gonna sit at a different table, Kristy was extremely rude to her. And the first time Claudia missed a club meeting, the BSC acted over-the-top about it, saying Claudia betrayed them.
The book was difficult to enjoy. I wish Claudia’s friends had been more concerned about her missing club meetings rather than being mean and revengeful. Claudia needed her friends to be there for her while she sorted out her toxic relationship with Ashley. With her friends being so mean, she got more and more wrapped up in Ashley. Thankfully the BSC starts to redeem themselves by the middle of the book by asking the right question: how good a friend is Ashley to Claudia? They realize that maybe Claudia isn’t abandoning them on purpose—maybe she just doesn’t know how to get herself out of a sticky friendship.
I like that Claudia and Ashley
Content Rating: yellow
CWs:
I know the “new girl” Ashley was supposed to be the toxic friend in this story, but I think the BSC members were being toxic too. The whole club treated her completely out of proportion to her actions. The first time Claudia said she was gonna sit at a different table, Kristy was extremely rude to her. And the first time Claudia missed a club meeting, the BSC acted over-the-top about it, saying Claudia betrayed them.
The book was difficult to enjoy. I wish Claudia’s friends had been more concerned about her missing club meetings rather than being mean and revengeful. Claudia needed her friends to be there for her while she sorted out her toxic relationship with Ashley. With her friends being so mean, she got more and more wrapped up in Ashley. Thankfully the BSC starts to redeem themselves by the middle of the book by asking the right question: how good a friend is Ashley to Claudia? They realize that maybe Claudia isn’t abandoning them on purpose—maybe she just doesn’t know how to get herself out of a sticky friendship.
I like that Claudia and Ashley
March 5, 2021
If “nice” friends are girls who eat all your candy and leave notes saying,
“Roses are red, violets are blue,then I hate to think what mean girls are like. I’ve read all the previous bsc books, and the characters in them were nothing like the girls in this book. All throughout Claudia and the New Girl I kept waiting for Kristy and the rest of the bsc to make a big apology to Claudia for being nasty, unkind friends, but they never did! In the end it was as if the readers were to assume Claudia was the one who was being a bad friend!
Traitors are jerks and so are you”
This book didn’t have any similarities to the rest of the series. It was full of gaps in the storyline, sent a horrible message about staying in unhealthy relationships, and the writing was significantly dumbed down compared to the previous books.
June 6, 2021
They were all so cute except this one👀 this was literally The third book. And the art? No. Why did I read this? Bc I loved these in middle school and had to continue them.
October 27, 2021
A transfer student upsets the status quo for the friendship group in the BSC. It's not one of my favorite episodes since so many of the characters are acting mean and petty for a lot of the book, but I do like the arc Claudia follows and her conscientious interaction with the members of the Rodowsky family for whom she babysits even in the midst of all the tempest-in-a-teapot tween drama. And there are good lessons about prioritization and time management. It's a pretty decent start for the new adapter, Gabriela Epstein.
May 10, 2023
There are toxic friendships and sometimes that is very hard to see. I love that Claudia really gets to work on her art and show her talent even though it was a rather heavy episode it really shows the toll of someone who pushes you in directions you don’t enjoy. A well put together one that shows the challenges that can pull you apart.
May 23, 2021
I did not like this book.
In short, I really hated the way that the BSC behaved. In this book, they act downright toxic, and I'll go into it.
At the beginning of this book, Claudia meets the new girl. She's very intrigued by her style and gets to talk to her a little bit at the end of class. She mentions her to the BSC in a positive way and shows interest in having her as a friend, mentioning to Mimi "We only talked for a few minutes, but I think maybe we're going to be friends. Isn't that funny?"
The next day, Ashley comes to her after-school art class. Claudia is very happy to see her and they talk a little bit about art before Claudia shows Ashley her portfolio. Ashley is very impressed and compliments Claudia, saying that she was talented enough to get into a high-standard art school in Chicago, Keyes. You can see how much Ashley's praise means to her because Ashley is a very talented artist.
A sculpture contest is announced and Ashley tells Claudia that she could enter. Claudia lists her reasons that she can't go, but Ashley encourages her, saying that she could "mentor" her so she could enter. Claudia shows more enthusiasm for it and says that she would think about it.
After school, Claudia is babysitting the Rodowskys when Ashley shows up. She tells Claudia that she lives next door and expresses skepticism over her spending time babysitting and playing games with the kids instead of working on her sculpture. She tells Claudia that in her spare time, she paints or sculpts instead of babysitting. Claudia tells her that she has plenty of time for her art and wants to meet with her to discuss Claudia's sculpture. Ashley leaves and Claudia resolves to not let Ashley see her playing games in the front yard again.
During lunch the next day, Claudia agrees to sit with Ashley instead of the BSC so they can discuss her sculpture like they planned yesterday. She and Ashley go over to their table to tell them and the BSC is frustratingly cold. Claudia is angry and slams her tray down on the table, saying "What, can I not have a new friend? They have to right to make me feel like I've committed a federal crime or something."
Ashley invites her to a watercolor show after school for ideas and Claudia agrees to go. Claudia has a great time, thinking "Ashley made me look at paintings in ways I wouldn't have by myself. And she listened, really listened, to what I had to say about them!" This sentence really struck me. Claudia is always described as the "artistic one" in the group, but no one else in the group seems to support her art as much as Ashley does. Ashley is cool, talented, and loves art just as much as Claudia does, so it's no wonder that Claudia feels drawn to her.
Claudia is fifteen minutes late to the BSC meeting, and the members look unnecessarily frustrated when she walks in. Claudia says that they started without her, and Kristy reacts angrily, saying "Of course we started. The phone began ringing. What did you expect? That we'd tell everyone to call back after Claudia got here? We weren't sure you were coming at all. Where were you?" Claudia says that she was at an art exhibit with Ashley and Kristy asks why she didn't call to tell them that she was going to be late. Claudia defends that she ran the entire way home and says that they had a good time. Stacey immediately compares Ashley to her, saying "How good a time? As good a time as when you and I go to the mall?" This really frustrates me, because Claudia has known Ashley for less than a week, and hung out with her two times: once during lunch and once after school. Stacey has no need to be so hung up about who Claudia hangs out with. This paragraph is the first example of the BSC's toxic behavior. Claudia reflects that she didn't deserve to get jobs, thinking "That was fair. It was a rule. If you were going to be late and didn't tell anyone first, you lost privileges. Still, I didn't like the way it felt to be left out." The last panel is Stacey openly glaring at Claudia.
The next day, Claudia and Ashley hang out after school to pick an idea and Claudia decides that she'd rather pick an idea and skip one meeting. She calls Dawn to let her know. When she gets back to her room, there are two notes left on her bed. The first is from Kristy: "Really disappointed in you, Claudia. You're letting the BSC down again. The second is from Mary Anne telling her what her job is.
The next morning. Claudia is walking to class with Ashley when the BSC confronts her. Standing in the hallway, shoulder-to-shoulder, they glare at her when she greets them. Kristy says that she wasn't at the meeting yesterday, and when Claudia tries to explain, Dawn interrupts her with a sarcastic "We know, we know. Your sculpture." Stacey follows up with a "Nice skirt," directed at Ashley, which was completely unwarranted. Ashley looks upset. Kristy asks if she's coming to the next meeting, but adds if she has "permission" from Ashley, the second unnecessary dig at her. Ashley defends them, saying that she needs to spend time on her work. Claudia looks grateful at this, and Ashley continues, saying that if she wants to be a great artist, she needs to spend a lot of time on her work. Kristy continues to get angry at Claudia, asking if she's quitting the club. Claudia, frustrated, yells that she's not. Mary Anne and Dawn say that she could have fooled them.
Quick reminder that Claudia has missed two meetings total. They meet three times a week.
During art, Ashley tells Claudia that she's proud of the work that she's done and asks if she wants to come to her house sometime. This chapter ends with Claudia thinking, "Ashley was a talented artist, and she valued and trusted me. What else could you want in a friend?" The fact that she says that at least Ashley trusted her gives a good idea of how toxic the BSC is being.
An image from the shared BSC notebook is on the next page, beginning with one person's comment: "Some people here are traitors. And you know who you are. ...we have a little problem right now. It's a certain person who keeps missing meetings. It's a good thing we have an alternate officer because Dawn sure has had to take over the duties of our vice president a lot lately." [A lot meaning exactly two times.] It ends with a different comment saying, "Yeah, our VP used to be very nice, but now she never shows up to meetings and she hangs around with a person who wears bell-bottom blue jeans to school."
Stacey asks if Claudia wants to hang out after school but Claudia declines, saying that she has to catch up on school assignments but that she'd love to do it another time. Claudia's on her way to do that when Ashley shows up, asking if she wants to see the studio. She shows a little reluctance, remembering her lost work but agrees. She asks if she can borrow her phone to tell the club when she gets there and Ashley shows understanding, giving her a hug and saying "Sure thing."
That night, Stacey shows anger at hearing that Claudia went to Ashley's house. This is reasonable. What is not reasonable is that instead of calling Claudia and trying to work something out, she suggests revenge. The club ransacks her room, eating her food and dumping it in the wrong places. They short-sheet her bed, they wreck her things, and they decide to leave notes for her to find. They don't show all of the notes, but one says "Roses are red, violets are blue, traitors are jerks, and so are you." They put these on her mattress and other places. Let's keep in mind that Claudia lets them use her room for the BSC meetings. They are guests in her own home. This is extremely toxic behavior.
After they do this, they have the audacity to discuss whether Ashley is a good friend or not. They say that Ashley spends a lot of time by herself and doesn't speak to them, not thinking that maybe the reason that she doesn't like to talk to them is that they're extremely exclusive. If I made a new friend and her old friends acted cold to us and sought "revenge," I would stay as far away from them as possible. The page ends with Stacey, sitting on the bed that she left cruel notes on, in the room that Claudia loaned them, saying "I'm beginning to wonder just how good a friend Ashley Wyeth is."
Do you see the toxic behavior?
The next day, Ashley sees Claudia when she's babysitting the Rodowskys again. She asks why she spends time babysitting when she could be doing her sculpture instead. Claudia and Ashley argue, Ashley saying that she could be a great artist, and Claudia saying that she needs time for other things. Remember that every time they've hung out for art, it's been a consensual thing. Ashley has invited her to do something, Claudia has agreed, and they've both enjoyed it.
During this argument, Claudia says "You shouldn't make up conditions for friendship." I feel as if this would be 100% more applicable for the BSC over Ashley. Ashley has never indicated that she wouldn't want to continue being friends even if Claudia wasn't an artist, but the BSC is acting like it's the end of the world if Claudia misses a few meetings. [The count is at three total meetings now.] They're talking about her behind her back, confronting her angrily in school, and getting "revenge" for things that shouldn't need revenge.
Ashley leaves, upset, and Claudia thinks that "She was right. I haven't been a good friend. At least, not to Stacey and the other members of the BSC. I thought everyone must hate me. I'd be surprised if any of them ever spoke to me again." The next day, Claudia goes to sketch Jackie for her sculpture, and Mary Anne, who is babysitting at the time, asks if she and Ashley are best friends now, and Claudia replies that they're not even friends anymore.
Here comes the part that I recognize in a lot of books. The author(s) realize that the so-called "villain" is in the right in a situation, so they decide to add in an extra, unnecessary scene in order to put one side in the right and one in the wrong. Ashley storms into the house and tells Claudia that she's disappointed that she's sculpting Jackie. Claudia stands up to her and says that she's going to sculpt what she likes, and Ashley says that she's not going to learn it from her. With an offhand "Have fun ruining your career," she slams the door and leaves. Mary Anne makes the obligatory "she doesn't care for you like we do" conversation and Claudia says that she'll be missing another meeting because she needs to study.
When she gets home, she calls Ashley. She explains to her that her life has a lot of things in it, and that she's the happiest when she's busy. She says "I really like you, Ashley, but I can't spend all my time working on art with you. Even if you're the most talented person I know. Do you know what I mean?" Ashley (recently made the villain) says she does and hangs up the phone. Claudia says that a real friend would have tried to understand (cough, cough, like the BSC should have before they destroyed her stuff, cough, cough). Next, she calls Stacey and tells her that she's sorry she's been a flaky friend recently, and that she wanted to hang out with Ashley because she's never been able to talk about art like that before. Stacey says that they can still be friends and then Claudia calls Kristy to tell her that she's going to be at the next meeting.
Do you see how in all of these, Claudia is apologizing? Not a single time does anyone else take the blame for anything, even though throughout the entire book, Claudia rarely ever does anything wrong.
Claudia goes to the BSC meeting the next day and says this: "I'm sorry. I, um, really missed you guys and babysitting. I'm sorry I let myself get carried away with art and animated objects or whatever they're called. Please understand... hardly anybody tells me I'm really good at something when you're me. That just doesn't happen often. Then Ashley came along. She was an amazing artist who complimented me. I felt important when I was with her... and I didn't want to lose that. I know now that she wasn't a real friend, though. I just hope we can be friends again."
I'm not going to go into detail about the rest of the book, but it's your regular storybook ending. The BSC apologizes vaguely for "not handling things well," never specifying the things that they actually did. Claudia promises to be a better friend (aka, not stand up to them when they act toxic). Ashley agrees to be second best because the BSC is more important because they're the main characters, and she'll probably never show up in a book again because she's not a member of the BSC. Claudia never finds out about the notes.
This book heavily romanticizes toxic friendships and encourages a black-and-white viewpoint. I believe that Claudia and Ashley are the victims in this situation, and if you disagree I'd like to invite you to reread the book. I have a copy at my house that I certainly don't want anymore.
In short, I really hated the way that the BSC behaved. In this book, they act downright toxic, and I'll go into it.
At the beginning of this book, Claudia meets the new girl. She's very intrigued by her style and gets to talk to her a little bit at the end of class. She mentions her to the BSC in a positive way and shows interest in having her as a friend, mentioning to Mimi "We only talked for a few minutes, but I think maybe we're going to be friends. Isn't that funny?"
The next day, Ashley comes to her after-school art class. Claudia is very happy to see her and they talk a little bit about art before Claudia shows Ashley her portfolio. Ashley is very impressed and compliments Claudia, saying that she was talented enough to get into a high-standard art school in Chicago, Keyes. You can see how much Ashley's praise means to her because Ashley is a very talented artist.
A sculpture contest is announced and Ashley tells Claudia that she could enter. Claudia lists her reasons that she can't go, but Ashley encourages her, saying that she could "mentor" her so she could enter. Claudia shows more enthusiasm for it and says that she would think about it.
After school, Claudia is babysitting the Rodowskys when Ashley shows up. She tells Claudia that she lives next door and expresses skepticism over her spending time babysitting and playing games with the kids instead of working on her sculpture. She tells Claudia that in her spare time, she paints or sculpts instead of babysitting. Claudia tells her that she has plenty of time for her art and wants to meet with her to discuss Claudia's sculpture. Ashley leaves and Claudia resolves to not let Ashley see her playing games in the front yard again.
During lunch the next day, Claudia agrees to sit with Ashley instead of the BSC so they can discuss her sculpture like they planned yesterday. She and Ashley go over to their table to tell them and the BSC is frustratingly cold. Claudia is angry and slams her tray down on the table, saying "What, can I not have a new friend? They have to right to make me feel like I've committed a federal crime or something."
Ashley invites her to a watercolor show after school for ideas and Claudia agrees to go. Claudia has a great time, thinking "Ashley made me look at paintings in ways I wouldn't have by myself. And she listened, really listened, to what I had to say about them!" This sentence really struck me. Claudia is always described as the "artistic one" in the group, but no one else in the group seems to support her art as much as Ashley does. Ashley is cool, talented, and loves art just as much as Claudia does, so it's no wonder that Claudia feels drawn to her.
Claudia is fifteen minutes late to the BSC meeting, and the members look unnecessarily frustrated when she walks in. Claudia says that they started without her, and Kristy reacts angrily, saying "Of course we started. The phone began ringing. What did you expect? That we'd tell everyone to call back after Claudia got here? We weren't sure you were coming at all. Where were you?" Claudia says that she was at an art exhibit with Ashley and Kristy asks why she didn't call to tell them that she was going to be late. Claudia defends that she ran the entire way home and says that they had a good time. Stacey immediately compares Ashley to her, saying "How good a time? As good a time as when you and I go to the mall?" This really frustrates me, because Claudia has known Ashley for less than a week, and hung out with her two times: once during lunch and once after school. Stacey has no need to be so hung up about who Claudia hangs out with. This paragraph is the first example of the BSC's toxic behavior. Claudia reflects that she didn't deserve to get jobs, thinking "That was fair. It was a rule. If you were going to be late and didn't tell anyone first, you lost privileges. Still, I didn't like the way it felt to be left out." The last panel is Stacey openly glaring at Claudia.
The next day, Claudia and Ashley hang out after school to pick an idea and Claudia decides that she'd rather pick an idea and skip one meeting. She calls Dawn to let her know. When she gets back to her room, there are two notes left on her bed. The first is from Kristy: "Really disappointed in you, Claudia. You're letting the BSC down again. The second is from Mary Anne telling her what her job is.
The next morning. Claudia is walking to class with Ashley when the BSC confronts her. Standing in the hallway, shoulder-to-shoulder, they glare at her when she greets them. Kristy says that she wasn't at the meeting yesterday, and when Claudia tries to explain, Dawn interrupts her with a sarcastic "We know, we know. Your sculpture." Stacey follows up with a "Nice skirt," directed at Ashley, which was completely unwarranted. Ashley looks upset. Kristy asks if she's coming to the next meeting, but adds if she has "permission" from Ashley, the second unnecessary dig at her. Ashley defends them, saying that she needs to spend time on her work. Claudia looks grateful at this, and Ashley continues, saying that if she wants to be a great artist, she needs to spend a lot of time on her work. Kristy continues to get angry at Claudia, asking if she's quitting the club. Claudia, frustrated, yells that she's not. Mary Anne and Dawn say that she could have fooled them.
Quick reminder that Claudia has missed two meetings total. They meet three times a week.
During art, Ashley tells Claudia that she's proud of the work that she's done and asks if she wants to come to her house sometime. This chapter ends with Claudia thinking, "Ashley was a talented artist, and she valued and trusted me. What else could you want in a friend?" The fact that she says that at least Ashley trusted her gives a good idea of how toxic the BSC is being.
An image from the shared BSC notebook is on the next page, beginning with one person's comment: "Some people here are traitors. And you know who you are. ...we have a little problem right now. It's a certain person who keeps missing meetings. It's a good thing we have an alternate officer because Dawn sure has had to take over the duties of our vice president a lot lately." [A lot meaning exactly two times.] It ends with a different comment saying, "Yeah, our VP used to be very nice, but now she never shows up to meetings and she hangs around with a person who wears bell-bottom blue jeans to school."
Stacey asks if Claudia wants to hang out after school but Claudia declines, saying that she has to catch up on school assignments but that she'd love to do it another time. Claudia's on her way to do that when Ashley shows up, asking if she wants to see the studio. She shows a little reluctance, remembering her lost work but agrees. She asks if she can borrow her phone to tell the club when she gets there and Ashley shows understanding, giving her a hug and saying "Sure thing."
That night, Stacey shows anger at hearing that Claudia went to Ashley's house. This is reasonable. What is not reasonable is that instead of calling Claudia and trying to work something out, she suggests revenge. The club ransacks her room, eating her food and dumping it in the wrong places. They short-sheet her bed, they wreck her things, and they decide to leave notes for her to find. They don't show all of the notes, but one says "Roses are red, violets are blue, traitors are jerks, and so are you." They put these on her mattress and other places. Let's keep in mind that Claudia lets them use her room for the BSC meetings. They are guests in her own home. This is extremely toxic behavior.
After they do this, they have the audacity to discuss whether Ashley is a good friend or not. They say that Ashley spends a lot of time by herself and doesn't speak to them, not thinking that maybe the reason that she doesn't like to talk to them is that they're extremely exclusive. If I made a new friend and her old friends acted cold to us and sought "revenge," I would stay as far away from them as possible. The page ends with Stacey, sitting on the bed that she left cruel notes on, in the room that Claudia loaned them, saying "I'm beginning to wonder just how good a friend Ashley Wyeth is."
Do you see the toxic behavior?
The next day, Ashley sees Claudia when she's babysitting the Rodowskys again. She asks why she spends time babysitting when she could be doing her sculpture instead. Claudia and Ashley argue, Ashley saying that she could be a great artist, and Claudia saying that she needs time for other things. Remember that every time they've hung out for art, it's been a consensual thing. Ashley has invited her to do something, Claudia has agreed, and they've both enjoyed it.
During this argument, Claudia says "You shouldn't make up conditions for friendship." I feel as if this would be 100% more applicable for the BSC over Ashley. Ashley has never indicated that she wouldn't want to continue being friends even if Claudia wasn't an artist, but the BSC is acting like it's the end of the world if Claudia misses a few meetings. [The count is at three total meetings now.] They're talking about her behind her back, confronting her angrily in school, and getting "revenge" for things that shouldn't need revenge.
Ashley leaves, upset, and Claudia thinks that "She was right. I haven't been a good friend. At least, not to Stacey and the other members of the BSC. I thought everyone must hate me. I'd be surprised if any of them ever spoke to me again." The next day, Claudia goes to sketch Jackie for her sculpture, and Mary Anne, who is babysitting at the time, asks if she and Ashley are best friends now, and Claudia replies that they're not even friends anymore.
Here comes the part that I recognize in a lot of books. The author(s) realize that the so-called "villain" is in the right in a situation, so they decide to add in an extra, unnecessary scene in order to put one side in the right and one in the wrong. Ashley storms into the house and tells Claudia that she's disappointed that she's sculpting Jackie. Claudia stands up to her and says that she's going to sculpt what she likes, and Ashley says that she's not going to learn it from her. With an offhand "Have fun ruining your career," she slams the door and leaves. Mary Anne makes the obligatory "she doesn't care for you like we do" conversation and Claudia says that she'll be missing another meeting because she needs to study.
When she gets home, she calls Ashley. She explains to her that her life has a lot of things in it, and that she's the happiest when she's busy. She says "I really like you, Ashley, but I can't spend all my time working on art with you. Even if you're the most talented person I know. Do you know what I mean?" Ashley (recently made the villain) says she does and hangs up the phone. Claudia says that a real friend would have tried to understand (cough, cough, like the BSC should have before they destroyed her stuff, cough, cough). Next, she calls Stacey and tells her that she's sorry she's been a flaky friend recently, and that she wanted to hang out with Ashley because she's never been able to talk about art like that before. Stacey says that they can still be friends and then Claudia calls Kristy to tell her that she's going to be at the next meeting.
Do you see how in all of these, Claudia is apologizing? Not a single time does anyone else take the blame for anything, even though throughout the entire book, Claudia rarely ever does anything wrong.
Claudia goes to the BSC meeting the next day and says this: "I'm sorry. I, um, really missed you guys and babysitting. I'm sorry I let myself get carried away with art and animated objects or whatever they're called. Please understand... hardly anybody tells me I'm really good at something when you're me. That just doesn't happen often. Then Ashley came along. She was an amazing artist who complimented me. I felt important when I was with her... and I didn't want to lose that. I know now that she wasn't a real friend, though. I just hope we can be friends again."
I'm not going to go into detail about the rest of the book, but it's your regular storybook ending. The BSC apologizes vaguely for "not handling things well," never specifying the things that they actually did. Claudia promises to be a better friend (aka, not stand up to them when they act toxic). Ashley agrees to be second best because the BSC is more important because they're the main characters, and she'll probably never show up in a book again because she's not a member of the BSC. Claudia never finds out about the notes.
This book heavily romanticizes toxic friendships and encourages a black-and-white viewpoint. I believe that Claudia and Ashley are the victims in this situation, and if you disagree I'd like to invite you to reread the book. I have a copy at my house that I certainly don't want anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2021
"Friends are friends because they like each other, not because they're in debt."
Review:
I am kind of confused. It has been a bit since I have read a Babysitters Club book and maybe that is why Claudia and the New Girl didn't really work for me.
Some things seemed off. One of which, was the writing. I don't know if it is just me, but the writing, especially in the beginning, seemed different and not as good.
Also, the BSC's reaction to Claudia hanging out with Ashley was completely over the top. Maybe the book skipped all the ways Claudia was forgetting her responsibilities as VP of the BSC, but their reaction was still unnecessary. It just doesn't remind me of how the Club usually is, but maybe it's just a "me" problem.
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
I am kind of confused. It has been a bit since I have read a Babysitters Club book and maybe that is why Claudia and the New Girl didn't really work for me.
Some things seemed off. One of which, was the writing. I don't know if it is just me, but the writing, especially in the beginning, seemed different and not as good.
Also, the BSC's reaction to Claudia hanging out with Ashley was completely over the top. Maybe the book skipped all the ways Claudia was forgetting her responsibilities as VP of the BSC, but their reaction was still unnecessary. It just doesn't remind me of how the Club usually is, but maybe it's just a "me" problem.
Rating: 3 stars
February 5, 2021
I thought the message if you can call it that, was great. It's not good to monopolize one person's time, especially if you have to manipulate them to do so.
April 2, 2021
3.5 stars
this book makes me realize that Claudia is my favorite character lol
this book makes me realize that Claudia is my favorite character lol
January 23, 2021
Gabriela Epstein had some big shoes to fill, joining the BSC Graphic Novel series nine books in, and I'll be honest, it took me a couple chapters to really warm up to her art. Not that it's a huge departure from what we've already seen, but it's still a little different and change is scary haha. But her cherubic angel Jackie Rodowsky won me over, and made me notice how great everyone looks. For some reason, I was especially drawn to Kristy and Dawn. I'm excited to see the next book she adapts!
Story-wise, I enjoyed this. It's been a couple of years since I last read the original (which is embarrassing, since I thought I would get through the whole series in, like, a couple months lmao) but as far as I can tell, it was a pretty faithful adaption. I especially liked the salty BSC eating all her snacks, that was a fun little montage (especially Mary Anne catching the marshmallow thrown by Kristy in her mouth ahhahahaha!!) Oh, and the one panel of all their identical angry faces (except Mary Anne's sympathetic one) cracked me up!
I can see this book being just as popular as the rest of the series, and hope that we get many, many more books. (Hey, Raina and Gale each got four, so it's only fair for Gaby and Chan Chau (who is adapting the next book) to also each get four. BSC FOREVER!!!)
Story-wise, I enjoyed this. It's been a couple of years since I last read the original (which is embarrassing, since I thought I would get through the whole series in, like, a couple months lmao) but as far as I can tell, it was a pretty faithful adaption. I especially liked the salty BSC eating all her snacks, that was a fun little montage (especially Mary Anne catching the marshmallow thrown by Kristy in her mouth ahhahahaha!!) Oh, and the one panel of all their identical angry faces (except Mary Anne's sympathetic one) cracked me up!
I can see this book being just as popular as the rest of the series, and hope that we get many, many more books. (Hey, Raina and Gale each got four, so it's only fair for Gaby and Chan Chau (who is adapting the next book) to also each get four. BSC FOREVER!!!)
August 15, 2021
I love this book, the story is, claudia meets a new “friend “ and she is very toxic, bsc is not too happy about that
January 24, 2023
why did i think they were gonna fall in love. the new girl was totally toxic and it was very interesting to see claudia fall into her trap.
January 23, 2022
"I like this book because it's about art. Sadly, the new girl bullies Claudia because she babysits and has other friends besides her. Claudia's art teacher turned in a project for a contest that was only half finished. They all worked it out in the end. The new girl got first place for her animated fire hydrant." - Cadee, age 9
May 28, 2021
What happened??? Wondering if there was something missing in the adaptation or if the original novel was this bad. I can't believe how awful the BSC was to Claudia because she started hanging around with Ashley, who is drawn as an artsy person of colour I saw as being potentially queer. Wow. That might be the content of the original, but the adaptation does nothing to address any of the BSC's bullying of Claudia. They steal her sweets and trash her room and write hateful notes and we don't even get to see how this affects Claudia when she comes home. It is all just a proper part of the corrective measures the BSC take to win Claudia back from Ashley. Far out. Also not into the way the faces/shading/eyes are done in the illustrations. It made it hard to tell what the characters were meant to be feeling.
I really don't recommend this one at all.
I really don't recommend this one at all.
March 13, 2021
A new author for the series. It also takes me a bit to get used to the new drawing style. I liked the ending of this book a lot and how the book showed friendship conflicts and resolutions. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of captions used in the book. It felt like a lot was just being told instead of really shown.
January 11, 2022
I love the Baby Sitters Club series and I'm glad they were made into graphic novels! I enjoyed the illustrations and Claudia's personality. I like how I get to experience and see all the characters' reactions and thoughts. This novel is a good reflection on friendship. I would definitely recommend.
May 31, 2022
[2.5/5]
i highly prefer galligan's style to epstein's, but her illustrations are still charming. i utterly hated the plot of this book, though i suppose that's more of a gripe with ann m. martin than gabriela epstein.
i highly prefer galligan's style to epstein's, but her illustrations are still charming. i utterly hated the plot of this book, though i suppose that's more of a gripe with ann m. martin than gabriela epstein.
August 11, 2023
Gabriela was my student in English class and newspaper. Her illustrations and cartoon strips for the student paper won many state and national student journalism awards. It’s no wonder her work as a graphic novelist is as good as it is. Super proud of her accomplishments. What a talent!
February 22, 2021
Such a great series
Read
December 2, 2021I like this book a lot because it show me how to make good friends and how to keep them and teaches me to not be a controlling friend because real friends don't do that so I recommend this book .
July 27, 2024
Claudia is such a hardcore ADHD queer artsy girl ICONIC QUEEN
January 20, 2023
Pretty focused story this time without too much going on in the other girls' lives.
A few things bugged me with Epstein's art style:
* Claudia was so yellow it was distracting. Maybe this is the colorist's responsibility (Braden Lamb), but someone needs to check on why Claudia was soooo yellow. (The why is from Claudia's cultural background they are trying to represent- but my goodness, it was over the top, and unnecessary!)
* When characters turn to the side, they don't look like people and instead look like monkeys? bears? rats? Something with no definition from their nose to their mouth giving them a "snout" effect.
* The hazy eyes. Why are the bottom half of character's eyes given a hazy, filmy treatment?
I know I'll keep reading these graphic novel adaptations, but honestly, Epstein is my least favorite of the artists to take them on so far.
A few things bugged me with Epstein's art style:
* Claudia was so yellow it was distracting. Maybe this is the colorist's responsibility (Braden Lamb), but someone needs to check on why Claudia was soooo yellow. (The why is from Claudia's cultural background they are trying to represent- but my goodness, it was over the top, and unnecessary!)
* When characters turn to the side, they don't look like people and instead look like monkeys? bears? rats? Something with no definition from their nose to their mouth giving them a "snout" effect.
* The hazy eyes. Why are the bottom half of character's eyes given a hazy, filmy treatment?
I know I'll keep reading these graphic novel adaptations, but honestly, Epstein is my least favorite of the artists to take them on so far.
February 11, 2021
The BSC graphic novel series is back with its third official illustrator (Epstein takes over the reins from Galligan and Telgemeier).
Oddly enough, I remember nothing about this plot from my 80's readings - I'm guessing I didn't own this book so it wasn't subject to the same re-readings as the other titles in the series. Typical babysitting and friendship drama, cloaked in the bright, tween-friendly hues of past series titles. Some things are universal and timeless (even if having 13 year olds supervise your children isn't.)
Oddly enough, I remember nothing about this plot from my 80's readings - I'm guessing I didn't own this book so it wasn't subject to the same re-readings as the other titles in the series. Typical babysitting and friendship drama, cloaked in the bright, tween-friendly hues of past series titles. Some things are universal and timeless (even if having 13 year olds supervise your children isn't.)
June 26, 2021
These graphic novels always bring me joy <3 Simple easy to read. Perfect as filler reading material.
February 12, 2021
4 1/2 stars. -1/2 because I think it was repetitive of the other books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 408 reviews