Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 43
First published 1996
Stacey McGill feels everything spinning out of control. School assignments pile up on her desk. Baby-sitting appointments fill every free hour. Her parents argue constantly, and she stands trapped between their angry words. Worse yet, her body sends warning signals she tries to ignore. The diabetes that already complicates her life demands attention she cannot spare. Her energy drains away as she pushes through each exhausting day. Then her body refuses to cooperate any longer. Stacey collapses and wakes up in a hospital bed, surrounded by worried faces and beeping machines. Her fellow Baby-sitters Club members gather around her, fear written across their expressions. Stacey stares at the ceiling and asks herself the same question that haunts her daily routine. Life throws obstacle after obstacle in her path while other teenagers worry about homework and weekend plans. She manages a chronic illness, mediates family conflicts, and maintains her responsibilities to friends and clients. The hospital stay forces her to confront how much weight she carries on her shoulders.
Genres: fiction, medical, contemporary, adolescence, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, medical-drama
139 pages · Paperback · Scholastic Paperbacks
Content warnings: medical-trauma