Ann M Martin

Since her parents' divorce, Dawn lives in Connecticut with her mother while her brother and father are in California, but after a week's vacation in sunny, healthy southern California, Dawn isn't sure she wants to return to the East Coast.

Karen's class is taking music lessons, and all of the kids are getting instruments! Instead of a beautiful flute, Karen ends up with a big, old tuba.

Karen is happy that Christmas is coming. Then she hears some sad news: the Stones' barn has burned down! Karen comes up with a great plan to raise money -- A Winter Festival with sleigh rides!

Everyone is learning about Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Hanukkah and Sara runs into problems with the Kwanzaa treats she plans to bring to class.

Karen visits New York City for the weekend and is sure she will find great Christmas presents for Hannie and Nancy, but when the weekend is almost over she still doesn't have any presents.

When she sees how much her little brother and young stepbrother and stepsister want to play softball, thirteen-year-old Kristy starts her own team, which makes up in spirit what it lacks in skill.

Claudia's participation in the Baby-sitters Club is curtailed when Grandmother Mimi suffers a stroke and Claudia finds herself "Mimi-sitting" and fighting more frequently with her sister.

Kristy decides to form a baby-sitters club with her friends, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacy, but they run into unexpected problems which threaten to break up the club.

When her mother gets married, Kristy and the other members of the Baby-sitters Club have their hands full taking care of fourteen children at the wedding.

Stacey, a member of the Baby-sitters Club, struggles with her parents who refuse to believe that she has diabetes.