When an upcoming gig in Stacey’s apartment building is too much for the single-member NY branch of the BSC to handle, she invites the OG sitters to travel down and pitch in–but she’s shocked at the versions of her friends who show up. Usually cool Claudia rolls into Grand Central with a suitcase on wheels–how embarrassing!, self-assured Dawn is afraid of her own shadow, and Mary Anne is not at all shy about sharing her ambitious itinerary or shading one of her BFFs. (Kristy is, well, Kristy.) The long weekend is not at all going according to plan, but Stacey won’t let bumpkin behavior or friend tensions distract them from their duty to care for ten kids.

Two more resident New Yorkers join us for this week’s stroll through Central Park and chat about Stacey’s Mistake: a chihuahua named Bianca and her human, Kiwi Callahan.

If you’re looking for a gift for that Hallmark holiday movie lover or hater in your life, check out Kiwi’s game at badchristmasmoviebingo.com.

Homework assignment:

Write a sonnet inspired by the love affair portrayed in the Opposites Attract music video; a report on the history and present-day status of the Hard Rock Cafe; or a journal entry on your class field trip to see Starlight Express (all rabbit holes worth going down, trust us).

Here for a Friends 4-Ever or Stuart Little Book Club? Sign up at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.

Follow us on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

A string of mishaps at home, school, and on the job have the babysitters wondering whether Mary Anne should have responded to an ominous chain letter …better wear the follow-on so-called bad-luck charm just in case. This book has everything: surprise mail, an emergency library quest, DIY costumes, a cemetery, and the first appearance of the series villain. Meet us at midnight at Old Man Hickory's headstone, under the light of a full moon, as we hold flashlights under our chins and chat about childhood talismans, enduring just-in-case rituals, and Mary Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery.

Halloween/Comfort Rereads

What’s A Ghost Going to Do? by Jane Thayer

Georgie book series by Robert Bright

Little Women, Chapter 40: The Valley of the Shadow,* by Louisa May Alcott

*from Mary Anne, NOT us

Very superstitious? Tell us which common or not-so-common ones we left out at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com (but no chain letter emails, please!).

Check out what an evil powermaster looks like on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Though Jessi has only recently arrived in Stoneybrook and joined the BSC, she steps up to take the lead role in an upcoming ballet performance and take on a twice-a-week sitting gig for the Braddocks, another new family in the neighborhood. Matt Braddock is deaf and uses sign language to communicate, and Jessi sees that he and his sister Haley are having a tough time settling in. Jessi is just the right sitter for the job, with her empathy, facility with languages and expression through movement, and close (telepathic?) connection with a best friend who happens to have seven siblings keen to learn Jessi’s Secret Language.

In this episode, we’re lucky to have storyteller Kambri Crews, a CODA fluent in American Sign Language, join us to discuss Book 16. You can find out about Kambri’s memoir here.

Collection of mentions:

NYT article from 2021 about name signs in deaf culture

A colloquial sign in ASL for bullsh*t

Merill Ashley, inspiration for Lyssa’s pointe shoes

Cat book reading list from Becca’s bookshelf:

The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown

Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág

Follow along on Instagram @stoneybrookreunion.

Get in touch at stoneybrookreunion@gmail.com.