Ann M. Martin

"Stacey is so excited! Her friends from The Baby-sitters Club are coming to New York City for a long weekend. It's going to be perfect -- a party and a sleepover on Friday night, a big baby-sitting job on Saturday, and lots of sightseeing throughout. But it turns out that the baby-sitters are way out of place in the big city. Mary Anne sounds like a walking guidebook, Dawn is afraid of everything, Kristy can't keep her mouth shut, Claudia is jealous...

Things go awry when Annabelle, a fragile, timid porcelain doll who lies in a Victorian dollhouse, tries to share some of her Christmas traditions with best friend Tiffany, a sturdy, adventurous plastic doll who lives in a modern dollhouse.

Flora, Ruby, Olivia, and Nikki are excited that their new neighbors have a daughter named Willow, but the new girl does not seem open to the idea of friendship.

At the urging of a very artistic new girl who encourages Claudia to practice art instead of caring for kids, Claudia considers leaving the club and the other members give her an ultimatum.

"Claudia and her sister, Janine, may as well be from two different planets. Claudia, who pays more attention to her artwork and The Baby-sitters Club than her homework, feels like she can't compete with her perfect sister. Janine studies nonstop, gets straight As, and even takes college-level courses! But when something unexpected happens to the most beloved person in their family, will the sisters be able to put aside their differences?"--Publisher....

Accompanying the Pike family during a two-week vacation to the Jersey Shore, baby-sitter Stacey falls head over heels for a handsome lifeguard despite Mary Anne's warning that he is too old for her.

Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal.

"Jessi recently moved to Stoneybrook and is one of the newest members of the Baby-sitters Club. She's getting ready to start regularly sittings for the BSC's newest charge, Matt Braddock. Matt has been deaf since birth and uses sign language to communicate, so Jessi has to use it, too. It's a secret language"--Provided by publisher.

In parallel stories, Bone, an orphaned dog, finds and loses a series of homes, Molly, a family pet, helps Charlie through the grief and other after-effects of his brother's death, and lonely Henry pleads for a dog of his own.

Mallory Pike has always wanted to be a member of the Baby-sitters Club. The Baby-sitters are so much fun to be around, and so grown-up. Now the club members have invited Mallory to a meeting. This might be her big chance! But the Baby-sitters don't make it easy. First Claudia makes Mal feel like a baby on her first official baby-sitting job. Then they give her a written test-with questions nobody could answer! Mallory's beginning to think she doesn't...