Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 16
First published 1996
Jessi Ramsey discovers a new way to communicate when she starts babysitting Matt Braddock. Matt has been deaf from birth and uses sign language to talk with others. As his babysitter, Jessi must learn to sign too. She picks up the language quickly and finds herself enjoying this new skill. Word spreads through Stoneybrook about sign language, and soon other children want to learn how to communicate with their hands. The demand keeps all the Baby-sitters Club members running from one lesson to another. Meanwhile, Jessi works on something special just for Matt. She plans a surprise event but must keep it completely secret until the right moment. Balancing her regular babysitting duties with teaching sign language and organizing her mystery project tests Jessi's abilities. She worries about managing everything at once while keeping Matt's surprise under wraps. Through it all, Jessi learns that communication goes beyond spoken words and that helping others connect brings unexpected rewards.
Genres: fiction, family, contemporary, young-adult, disability
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, secret-project
Setting: Stoneybrook
145 pages · Paperback · Apple