Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 62
First published 1993
Kristy Thomas hears exciting news from her neighborhood. The Papadakis family has decided to take in a foster child. Kristy and the other Baby-sitters Club members think this act of kindness is wonderful. They expect the new arrival will blend seamlessly into their familiar babysitting routine. Then Lou arrives. She refuses to answer to Louisa and makes that point crystal clear. Lou fights with the other children and plays too roughly for their comfort. The neighborhood kids avoid her completely. Lou's behavior challenges everything Kristy thought she knew about childcare. Kristy understands she should sympathize with Lou's difficult background. Foster children often carry painful experiences that shape their actions. Yet Kristy dreads every babysitting assignment that involves Lou. The girl turns routine jobs into exhausting ordeals. Kristy faces a moral dilemma between her professional responsibilities and her personal frustration with an impossible child.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-responsibility
163 pages · Paperback · Apple Paperbacks