Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 66
First published 1993
Mary Anne starts helping Mrs. Towne with household chores. The elderly woman has been teaching Mary Anne to sew, so when she asks for help around the house, Mary Anne readily agrees. She begins with simple tasks like dusting and sweeping. But the requests multiply. Mrs. Towne expects more cleaning, more errands, more of Mary Anne's time. What began as neighborly assistance transforms into something else entirely. Mary Anne discovers she has stepped into the role of a domestic servant. She must navigate this uncomfortable situation while maintaining her relationship with someone she thought was a friend and mentor. The story explores how good intentions can lead to exploitation and how young people can find themselves trapped in arrangements they never intended to accept.
Genres: domestic-fiction, family-life, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Period: 20th-century
155 pages · Paperback · Apple