The Truth About Stacey

Book #3, Graphix #2,  Netflix S1 E3

Original Book - Writer: Ann M.Martin

Graphix Book - Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Netflix Series - Director: Andrew DeYoung, Writer: Joanna Calo

Basic plot

The Babysitters Club have their first crisis when they have to deal with new rivals the Babysitters Agency. The BSA use dirty tricks to try and put BSC out of business, but the BSC succeed in the end as they are shown to be the more responsible babysitters.

Things that are kept the same

Again mostly the graphix and original book are the same. Things that are common in all of them:

• The girls are excited that one of their clients Mrs Newton is soon going to have a baby.
•  They are worried when a rival babysitting business starts as they have older sitters and can stay out later. Especially when the BSA play some dirty tricks to undermine the BSC
  
• Kristy comes up with plans to compete with them such as Kid-Kits (boxes with toys, books and crafts they can bring on their job), special rates and advertising the club by wearing sandwich boards.
  
• When Stacey is babysitting Charlotte Johanssen one of the BSA gives her balloon advertising the agency.
• When Mrs Newton goes into labour, she has arranged Elizabeth Thomas to look after Jamie.
• Meanwhile Stacey is dealing with her diabetes and her parents over protectiveness. 
• Stacy also thinks about her New York friend Laine and how she turned against her when she got sick. She is worried about losing her new friends if the club breaks up.
  
• The babysitters club bring presents to the Newtons and meet baby Lucy.
  
• When the girls find Jamie playing near the road while one of the BSA babysitters is meant to be watching him, they tell Mrs Newton.
• The Babysitters Club prove to be the better babysitters and their business is saved.
  
• A small thing in the original books is Mary Anne going to Mimi asking about when she was born and later Mimi teaching her to knit. This is not in this Graphix, but in the tv series, Elizabeth Thomas suggests Mary Anne talk to Mimi when she says she doesn't know about her birth, as she was good friends wit Mrs Spier. 
  

Things from other books 

• In the Netflix series Stacy tells the babysitters club about her diabetes and also this is the first time she meets Sam Thomas and develops a crush (from book #1)
  

Things that are changed

• In the Netflix series the plot points that are the same, some happen in a different order to the book, such as when they bring presents to the Newtons and meet the new baby at the end of episode whereas in the book/graphix that happened before Jamie's incident of playing on road.
• In the graphix and the netflix series the inciting incident for Stacy and Laines friendship breaking up is different. In the original series, there was several incidents of Stacey's illness affecting her at school but also her wetting the bed during a sleepover. The bedwetting incident is not in the graphix or Netflix series. In the Netflix series Stacey had a seizure at school which was filmed and later Laine also shared the video around. 
• It's this video that the BSA also share around after the Jamie incident to try and discredit BSC. Leading them to call parents together in a meeting and Stacy talk to them about her diabetes. Dr Johanssen speaks up in support of Stacey, which is nice reference to her support in the books.
  
• In the Netflix series Stacey has not revealed her diabetes to anyone until after video comes out, and her parents aren't dragging her around to see lots of doctors but are still overprotective and seem to want to hide her diabetes. While shopping for clothes Mrs McGill dismisses any clothes that show Stacey's insulin pump.
• Her resolution and taking more control of the disease, is present in all three in the books/graphix it is her not been dragged to more doctors, in the series she stops hiding her diabetes and puts her pump on display giving it a sparkly makeover.
  
• A major difference in the Netflix show as the McGills don't go to New York, Stacey also doesn't meet up with Laine again and make up with her.
  

 Final Thoughts

The graphix and original books stick close to each other to start with but I know later in the graphix there will be some major differences, so it will be interesting to look at that more.  Having a rewatch of the Netflix series I appreciate some of the continuity, Lacey Lewis (Liz Lewis in the books) is actually in the 1st episode as one of the people that takes a flyer from the girls obviously giving her the idea to form the rival club. It's nice to see the parents getting more to do in the series as well.

Timeline

Original Series	Graphix	Netflix Series
1. Kristy’s Great Idea         Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club. Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas.   Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.	1. Kristy’s Great Idea Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas. Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.	1.     Kristy’s Great Idea  Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club 1st appearance of Logan Bruno (not named until episode 2)
2.  Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school.	2. The Truth about Stacey The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency. Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits.  1st appearance of Mallory Pike Stacey makes up with her New York friend Laine.	2. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school. The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency.
3.    The Truth about Stacey The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency. Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits. 1st appearance of Mallory Pike Stacey makes up with her New York friend Laine.	3. Mary Anne Saves the Day Will be discussed in a later post	3. The Truth about Stacey Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas.   Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls

 Book #2, Netflix S1 E2

Original Book - Writer: Ann M.Martin

No Graphix Book

Netflix Series - Director: Lucia Aniello, Writer: Rachel Shukert

Basic plot

Claudia struggles with schoolwork and with her sister. She has a crush on a boy Trevor, who she wants to go to school dance the Halloween Hop with. Meanwhile a home invader known as the phantom caller is at large.

Things that are kept the same

The Graphix skipped over this book so only two to compare.

• Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne and she hopes to go to the school dance, the Halloween Hop with him. He does ask her to go with him.
  
• She has a big math test coming up and is struggling with school.
• She feels the only family member that understands her is her grandmother, Mimi. She particularly struggles to get along with her sister, Janine.
• She is painting a portrait of Mimi.
• There is a home invader known as the phantom caller due to him calling people's house before robbing them.
• Richard Spier is particularly concerned about phantom caller and grounds Mary Anne and stops her babysitting, (in the Netflix series its also because she gets home late without messaging him) Kristy has to cover her babysitting job.
• Kristy is at a babysitting job when se gets an unknown caller ringing her several times.
• She gets spooked but turns out it is not the phantom caller.

 

Things from other books 

A new section! 

• Mary Anne uses her and Kristy's flashlight code to try and communicate with her (from Book #1)
• Claudia has a talk with her parents about how she's not Janine, which seems to more reference a conversation she had in 1st book.
• Kristy reluctantly babysits Karen and Andrew for first time but actually likes the kids.
  (from Book #1)
• A new rival group The Babysitters Agency are first mentioned (from Book #3)

Things that are changed

• Surprisingly they actually managed to keep a lot of plot points the same although the phantom caller is not the main focus only something happening in the background.
• In the book the whole BSC are freaked out by the caller and come up with a code to use if they need help while babysitting. 
  
• In the Netflix series they do not care as much and do more metaphorical references to phantom caller like Claudia saying she doesn't want to listen to phantom callers in her head she wants to be herself. 
• Trevor Sandbourne is a fellow artist in the Netflix series rather than a poet in the book. He is also less shy and talks to Claudia, asking her to dance. In the book he is one of the phantom callers trying to get up the nerve to ask her out.
• In the book Alan Gray turned out to be the caller that spooked Kristy, he wanted to ask her out and she does agree to go. In Netflix it is Mary Anne that is the unknown caller, Kristy doesn't pick up phone because there is no ID, but Mary Anne's phone has been taken away by Richard so she was trying to get through on a different phone. Alan Gray is not in the episode.
• Logan is named in this episode.
  
• In the book Claudia makes an effort in the end to be friendly with Janine, in the episode they are still antagonistic.
• Karen is going through a creepy phase in the Netflix series and gives her doll a wake.
  
• Only Stacey goes to the dance in the Netflix series, (Claudia can't go because she failed her maths test and initially lied about it) she also first hears of the Babysitters Agency there.
• More diversity in the netflix series the Johanssens are now a same sex couple Dr Johanssen's wife is a teacher.
  

 Final Thoughts

I can see why the Graphix skipped over this one, especially if Claudia was originally only going to have one book this hasn't the most substantial or realistic stories but the Netflix series did a good job of adapting the book while actually not focusing on the phantom caller aspects. There is also some other parts of the original book that I'm glad the series didn't touch such as Kristy and Alan's relationship being "boys tease you because they like you" which is bad message to send. Also Kristy threatening some unruly sitting charges "one false move and I'll punch your lights out" would not go over well today!

Timeline

 

Original Series	Graphix	Netflix Series
1       1. Kristy’s Great Idea Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club. Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey tells the club about her diabetes.	1.      Kristy’s Great Idea  Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey tells the club about her diabetes.	1.  Kristy’s Great Idea Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club 1st appearance of Logan Bruno (not named until episode 2)
2. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school.	2.       The Truth about Stacey       will be discussed in later post	2.       Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school. The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency.