Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 23
First published 1989
Dawn steps off the plane in California, eager to reunite with her brother Jeff who moved back to live with their father. The Golden State exceeds all her expectations. She spends days on gorgeous beaches, screams through roller coasters at Disneyland, and discovers that Californians actually enjoy eating nutritious meals. Her best friend Sunny has launched her own babysitting business, creating new adventures for them to share. Each sunny day makes Dawn feel more at home in the place where she was born. As her week-long visit draws to a close, Dawn faces an impossible choice. Jeff found his happiness by staying in California with their dad. Could she do the same? The decision means potentially abandoning Stoneybrook and everything she built there. Dawn must decide whether her California roots run deeper than her Connecticut connections.
Genres: fiction, romance, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: California, Connecticut, Disneyland, Stoneybrook
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
142 pages · Paperback · Scholastic Paperbacks