30 Days of BSC | 5: Favorite Mystery

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5.) Favorite mystery:

The early mysteries are really, really good, but these two stand out for me. It's impossible for me to choose between them, so I'll just choose them both =) These are my favorite mysteries not only because I like their plots the best, but because they alter the course of canon. In Mary Anne and the Secret of the Attic, Mary Anne goes looking for answers about her past, inspired by Stoneybrook's Heritage Day festival. She doesn't think she has any living relatives, so she's in for the shock of her life when she realizes that she does - her mother's mother, Verna Baker. She also finds out that her father was so distraught after her mother died that he gave her up to be raised by her mother's parents until she was 18 months old. She spends quite a bit of the book thinking that her father doesn't want her because of this, but he explains that he *did* want her, enough to fight for her through the court system.

In The Mystery at Claudia's House, Claudia realizes there's something weird going on at her house, especially after she finds her room ransacked. Her sister is also acting weird, though she doesn't pay too much attention to that. Her mind is blown when she realizes that Janine is acting weird (even lying about her whereabouts, which results in punishment!) because she has a boyfriend - a hot boyfriend, no less. I love this because I love that Janine finally gets a social life, and that this boyfriend is not just a one-off side series character. He lasts for the majority of the canon, until their breakup in #123 Claudia's Big Party, and his return in a subplot of SS #15 Baby-sitters' European Vacation.

Honorable mention:


I bought the first two Super Mysteries when they first came out, and while I have memories of reading them, I have no actual memory of the plots. So when I recently re-read them, I was impressed with just how good this book actually is. It's a coherent story with interesting characters and a decent mystery that's resolved and explained. Even the subplot's kinda funny (Mal and Jessi running the club in the other girls' absence, and making a meal out of it). Considering the Super Mysteries came out when the regular Mysteries were starting to go off the grid into unreality, this was a pleasant surprise, and earns a mention in the "favorite mystery" category.


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1.) Favorite sitter: Stacey McGill
2.) Least favorite sitter: Abby Stevenson
3.) Favorite regular book: #43 Stacey's Emergency
4.) Least favorite regular book: #65 Stacey's Big Crush

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6.) Least favorite mystery
7.) Favorite super special
8.) Least favorite super special
9.) Favorite minor character
10.) Least favorite minor character
11.) Favorite sitting charge
12.) Least favorite sitting charge
13.) Favorite parent
14.) Least favorite parent
15.) Favorite BSC fight
16.) Favorite BSC love interest
17.) Favorite BSC organized event
18.) Favorite vacation spot
19.) Favorite holiday book
20.) Favorite couple in the book
21.) Favorite couple not in the book (as in who you wanted to get together but didn't)
22.) BSC member or minor character you could see yourself being friends with
23.) Favorite Friends Forever
24.) Least favorite Friends Forever
25.) Moments/Scene from the books that sticks out to you the most
26.) Favorite Claudia outfit
27.) Favorite Stacey outfit
28.) One thing you learned from the BSC
29.) Favorite BSC 'villain'
30.) Biggest 'that wouldn't really happen in real life' moment