Jessi's Secret Language

Book #16, Graphix #12

Original Book - Writer: Ann M.Martin

Graphix Book - Illustrator: Chan Chau

Basic plot

Jessi takes a regular babysitting job with new clients. One of the kids, Matt, is Deaf, so she learns ASL to communicate with him. Meanwhile she has gotten the lead role in her ballet School's production of Coppelia.

Things that are kept the same

• Jessi takes regular sitting job for the Braddocks, who have two children Matt (who is Deaf) and Hayley. She meets them and starts to learn ASL, before starting the sitting job.
• Jessi gets the part of Swanhilda in Coppelia in her ballet school, two of the girls in her class, Hilary and Mary Beth, are not being friendly and say that Mme Noelle is favouring her because she is the youngest.
• Jessi and the Braddocks meet Jenny and Mary Anne out for a walk and Jenny is quite rude not understanding about deafness, which upsets Hayley.
  
• Jessi gets on well with the Braddocks, she grows close with Matt and also helps Hayley talk through her feelings of resentment towards Matt.
• She brings the Braddocks to the Pikes house, and they think the "secret language" (ASL) is cool and they become friends.
• Jessi meets Mary Beth's sister, Adele. She is surprised to find out Adele is Deaf but her family have not learned sign language, she spends most of her time in boarding school. Jessi communicating with Adele and talking with Mary Beth, encourages her to start an ASL class so she she can have a better relationship with her sister.
  
• Jessi arranges for Matt's class to come see her ballet show with Hayley and her mom acting as narrator/interpreters to help. It is a great success.
  

Things from other books

• Nothing stood out as an addition from other books.
• In the graphix because Jessi joined earlier it is mentioned (in Graphix 8), that her family are house hunting and staying in temporary accommodation. As in the original books she moves into Stacey's old house I thought this would be followed up on in this book or the last one, but it hasn't, so it's unclear if Jessi lives in Stacey's old house or if they moved into a different house before she left.
  

Things that are changed 

• Plot is largely the same  as the original book, but I do notice things have been pared down, obviously big descriptions about what BSC members look like or how to do certain signs are not needed in a visual medium, but also some conversations are shortened for example Jessi and Hayley's conversation about resenting siblings or the BSC meeting no longer has Kristy mentioning her mom wanting a baby or Mary Anne taking a call from Logan.
• Also there is less of Jessi talking about being one of the few back families in Stoneybrook as obviously in the graphix there is more diversity, you can see this around the school and of course Logan is black in this version. (A nice visual addition is her and Becca wearing silk caps to bed to protect their hair). Jessi still has had trouble fitting in, but it's more about being a new kid than her race.
  
• Three chapters about babysitting jobs have been left out. Dawn and Mal babysitting the Pikes, who  start making up their own signs. Another chapter is Claudia babysitting the Brewers, she tells them about  the secret language, to distract Karen from her ghost stories and they spend the evening ringing Jessi asking her to look up things in the ASL dictionary (if that was included they could just look up signs on internet these days!). Then a chapter of Kristy babysitting Becca and Squirt, where Charlotte comes over to play (establishing Char and Becca have become close friends)
• Not a change but thought it is interesting to note because they've skipped over book 15 (Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn), a big plot point that Jeff has moved back to California, feels a little strange that Dawn just mentions how she is feeling about it in a meeting.
• There are some little changes to how the book handles the Deaf Community and ASL throughout. The intro thanks Lynne Kelly for her expertise in helping to make the book, it also notes because of the lettering format (all uppercase) that any reference to Deaf person is intended to have a capital "D"
  
• In the original book at times the refer to ASL as Ameslan which is not preferred term but was used in some books in 70s/80s. 
• Advantage of being visual is the graphix can draw out the signs rather than try and describe them. 
• When Jessi goes to talk to Matt's class about ballet, in the book she talks and signs, but in the graphix Mrs Braddock and teacher interpret as Mrs B. say it is difficult to do both at same time as each language has its own grammar and structure.
  
• Jessi comes up with her own name sign early in the book. In the graphix Matt gives her name sign after the show, this is important and special to be given a name sign by Deaf person as it shows she has been accepted into the Deaf Community.
  

Final Thoughts

A jump in timeline, I wondered how they were going to handle plot points like Jeff leaving, if we would get some of that in this book but seems like they just moved right on with Dawn just mentioning the move. In a lot of ways the graphix cutting out things can be advantage (we really don't need a run down of how the club works, everyone's personality and looks in every book) but do miss out on some of the build up. I had actually forgotten in these early books how much of a lead up to plots there was, like here is the first mention of Kristy's mom talking about babies, which is lead up to book 24. It's fun seeing the groundwork of these plots so it's a pity these are missed out. I also note that some of the extra babysitting jobs tend to get the cut a lot, which I suppose makes for tighter plot but sometimes could be fun to see.

While there ave been updates on how they treat ASL and Deaf community in the graphix, I think Ann did pretty good job in the original book, it would have been nice to see some representation back in the 80s and it's good that the Graphix were able to build on that and improve where needed.

Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye

Book #13, Graphix #11

Original Book - Writer: Ann M.Martin

Graphix Book - Illustrator: Gabriela Epstein

Basic plot

Stacey's family are moving back to New York. She feels quite conflicted, she is excited about some things but will miss the BSC a lot. They help her organise a yard sale and throw her big going away party.

Things that are kept the same 

• After staying later at as BSC meeting, Stacey's mom rings to ask her to come home for a talk. After some wild guesses at what their news it, the McGills tell her they are moving back to New York because of father's job.
• Stacey begins to get excited about move and calls Laine, but then she is sad and goes over to Claudia's house. They have idea that she could live with Kishi's until end of school year but that is quickly shot down by their parents.
• Stacey tells the rest of the BSC about the move, when Stacey s not there, the club try to think of a special going away party for her.
• Mary Anne while babysitting Dawn's brother Jeff sees a letter that he really wants to move back to California to live with his Dad.
• Stacey has to tell her favorite client Charlotte about the move,which isn't easy and Charlotte does get upset at first.
• While babysitting the Barretts, Dawn gets an idea for Stacey's party.
  
• Stacey and the BSC organise a yard sale to get rid of all the stuff they won't be able to take to New York. The day of yard sale is busy but successful.
  
• The BSC take their part of yard sale money to throw Stacey a goodbye party. They surprise her by having their clients at the party and having lots of fun and games.
  
• At the last BSC meeting Stacey officially hands her treasurer duties to Dawn.
• Moving day arrives and the club come with a banner to wave her off. Their are tears, but Stacey goes to New York optimistic about future.
  

Things from other books

• Nothing stuck out as being from other books.
• Something that has been left out previously is in the graphix this is first mention of Jeff wanting to go back to California, whereas in the books him being unhappy in Stoneybrook has been building up over the books.
  

Things that are changed 

• The book starts in school before Stacey's sitting job with Charlotte, in the graphix it just starts at the sitting job.
  
• Two chapters of other babysitting jobs are left out. Claudia and Mal babysitting the Pikes who are playing a game of spies and Kristy babysitting at the Brewers who have a run in with Mrs Porter "Morbidda Destiny"
• One of the purposes of the Pike babysitting jobs is to show Mal as a potential replacement for Stacey. They discuss this further in the last BSC meeting and Stacey rings Mal offering her a trial run in the BSC. At this stage in graphix Mal and Jessi are already part of club and at BSC meeting they just mention being able to take on more jobs, so no big search for replacement.
• Logan and Shannon come to the yard sale, it is mentioned Logan did come in the book as well, but it's nice to see both of them here and having interactions with the club, makes them seem more part of the group.
  

Final Thoughts

No more Netflix series to continue with, but the graphic novels are going strong, so it seems like will have lots more of the updated books to look at. The graphic novels are pretty close adaptions but it is interesting to see the little changes, and the visual medium brings a lot to the books. All the artists have done a really good job. I haven't read the next book yet, obviously Hello, Mallory has been skipped over as that was already partly adapted in the graphix no. 5. Surprisingly Little Miss Stoneybrook and Dawn has also been skipped over, so we get Jessi's Secret Language next and apparently another Stacey book in just three books time.

Season 3 - What could have been?

The Netflix series ends after just 2 seasons, and 18 episodes, I really enjoyed this adaption and hoped to see more, so in this post I muse about what could have been.

Realistically because of age of actresses and the creators saying they didn't want to continue following the characters into High School, the most we could have hoped for with the Netflix series would have been 3 seasons and at a push 4.  I'm sure Covid delays didn't help and the girls already seemed much older, it also meant a shortened season 2 and not exactly a grand finale.

Creator Rachel Shukart did an interesting interview about its cancellation and what could have been in season 3. https://www.vulture.com/article/why-the-baby-sitters-club-was-canceled-at-netflix.html

So going partly from that and what was set up from the previous seasons, and giving each member an episode, here's a list of episodes I think could have made Season 3

 

1. Kristy and the Walking Disaster
• Not entirely sure what would be a good book to adapt for Kristy, but she got some big stories previous seasons (wedding, louie dying, adoption) so a more lighthearted one could be good.
  
2. Stacey's Choice
• There were hints of Stacey's parents possible divorce in season 2, but rather than move her to New York and then divorce, I imagine they would divorce and she would have to choose which parent to live with, so a looser adaption with elements of other books.
3. Little Miss Stoneybrook and Dawn 
• Rachel mentioned wanting to adapt this and it would be fun episode, something in tone with Little Miss Sunshine film for the pageant.
4. Jessi's Secret Language
• It's one of the best Jessi books, and opportunity to be inclusive to deaf actors, I think it could fit in well with the series.
5. Keep, Out Claudia
• Maybe a bit of special episode, torn between this and Claudia's Friend, but it was an interesting book to look at racism and instead of obviously having Jessi as focus having Asian character instead.
6. Mallory Hates Boys (and Gym)
• Mal is definitely deserving of an episode after missing out last season, Poor Mallory would have been my first choice but that was already touched on. Mal always tends to have a hard time, but this seems like it could be episode a lot of 11 year girls could relate to and as the show has sometimes leaned more on focus their personal lives rather than babysitting aspect, this seems a good fit.
  
7. Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic 
• A mystery book, but as it explores Mary Anne's mother an past it feels like it would connect with the episodes well as we've already learned more of Alma's past in the show, as Mary Anne also learns things. This would also make good use of Marc Evan Jackson's Richard.
8. Snowbound 
• Rachel said she would have liked to cover another super special and she specifically mentions New York, New York and Snowbound, while former would be cool to see, I think filming wise Snowbound would be more feasible and is still a fun super special.
  
9. Graduation Day 
• For a finale I could see something like the Babysitters Remember but chose this as it's a story that brings the book series to the end and and has them finishing middle school.

Those are just thoughts of what could have fit in with the show and books I think could make a good adaption, but who knows, especially with some looser adaptions choices they made in season 2. There were certainly episodes in season 2 I didn't expect, like Kristy and the Baby Parade and Jessi and the Superbrat. I think they could have made a good job whatever they chose to adapt.

If I had to choose some other books that I personally would liked on to see on the screen it would be:

• Kristy and the Middle School Vandal (a mystery book, I enjoyed her and Cary's rivalry, liked following the clues and thought it was just a fun book)
  
• Claudia and the Recipe for Danger  (Claudia's mystery books were always my favourite ones and getting to see delicious cakes would be a bonus)
• Mary Anne Vs Logan (don't think it would have worked in series context as they actually decided to not be boyfriend/girlfriend, but bookwise I was never a big fan of Logan, and thought it was cool MA stood up for herself.)
• Stacey and the Bad Girls (this and Stacey Vs BSC it was really interesting to see someone break away from the group and do their own thing)
• Dawn on the Coast (don't think it would have worked filming but would have been fun to see Dawn in her California life)
  
• Mallory and the Trouble with Twins (this could be a good adaption, and actually early Mal books showing her being more competent, I actually really like Hello, Mallory as well)
• Jessi Ramsey, Pet Sitter (mightn't be the best book, but was one of the first I owned so it have a  soft spot for it)
• Welcome to the BSC, Abby (I only read one Abby book before aging out of BSC books, so while not a favourite character she would have been cool to see her appear at least)

In the meantime rewatching the 2 seasons we got will have to suffice, and at least the graphic novel adaptions are still going strong, so I will continue to look at those.

Kristy and the Baby Parade

 

Book #45, Netflix S2 E8

Original Book -  Writer: Ann M. Martin (ghostwriter: Ellen Miles)

Netflix Series - Director: Kimmy Gatewood  Writer: Rachel Shukert

Basic plot

The BSC decide to enter a float in the Stoneybrook Baby Parade but things don't go as planned.

Things that are kept the same  

• The BSC decide it would be a good idea to enter some of their clients in the Baby Parade float section and it would be good opportunity to advertise the club.
• All the members pitch ideas, most seem impracticable, like outer space theme, or Manhattan glam, they decide to go with "The Old Woman who lived in a shoe"
  
• It seems they may have been over ambitious and have some communication problems, so Stacey picks out an orange paint and Mal buys a clashing pink for the costumes.
• No-one is happy with how the costumes look, so Dawn (and others in the show) dress the babies in other outfits.
• The float is a disaster, Charlie is not happy to be using his car to pull the float and the BSC start fighting with each other, blaming each other for it failing.
• They do make up in the end, and at least one of the babies wins in the stroller section.
  

Things from other books 

• While not this specific situation Kristy's dad letting her down is mentioned in several books most prominently in the Portrait Collection: Kristy
• Kristy's dad wants the kids to meet his new girlfriend (Friends Forever 1) in this case he invites them to his wedding, they don't have a new baby yet but are talking about having a family. Charlie is the one who is not happy with it, but they do attend and accept he is never going to be good father to them.
  
• Stacey's parents are fighting a lot (Original Book 26, they divorce in book 28)
  

Things that are changed

• In the book the parade is bi-annual,  in the show it was a regular event but stopped 10 years ago, Stoneybrook is bringing it back for it's 80th anniversary.
• They are having a special old winners car and Kristy and Watson are both old winners.
• Kristy had no idea she was a winner of a baby parade, but Claudia knows and holds a bit of grudge because Mimi and Alma (Mary Anne's mother) had entered her and Mary Anne before Kristy came in last minute and won with a Mrs Claus costume.
• In the book the subplot involves Kristy helping Andrea Prezzioso enter stroller competition and they all go on a infant care course, none of this is in the show.
  
• They all have their pitch for a float
• Kristy - baseball game (book), no idea (show)
• Claudia - outer space (book & show), more elaborate idea in show.
  
• Mary Anne - Three Little Kittens (book), Nutcracker (show)
• Stacey - Glamorous Manhattan (book & show)
• Dawn - Surfing USA (book), Music Festival (show) 
• Mallory - Misty of Chincoteague (book), Old Woman that Lives in a shoe (show)
• Jessi - no idea (book) Nutcracker, pitched with Mary Anne (show)
• The reason Kristy doesn't have an idea to pitch in the show is she is too distracted as her biological dad has said he is going to visit with his new girlfriend and baby.
• This is particularly hard on Elizabeth as her and Watson attempts to have baby have not been successful, but she is supportive of whatever her kids want to do.
  
• Sam doesn't want to see him, but the rest decide to meet him. 
• He cancels last minute on day of parade, and Watson speaks his mind what he thinks of him and asks if he can formally adopt the Thomas kids which they accept. 
  

Final Thoughts 

Obviously this was meant to be just a season finale rather than a show finale, I'll get more into what I would have liked in another season in the next post, but taking it as it is, it's not the worst show finale. Kristy really accepting her new family and Watson adopting the Thomas children seems to be a complete arc for her from her first episode in season 1. And as always the BSC are supportive friend network the ending song being from the original tv series, seems a nice completion of the series.They took a lot from the original book including the disaster float, which was fun. In the book it was actually a nice change to see the babysitters take on a project and not excel at it! This doesn't seem to be a favourite book by may readers but I always liked it. I am sad this is the last of the series, but happy with the adaption we got.

Claudia and the Sad Goodbye

 

Book #26, Netflix S2 E7

Original Book -  Writer: Ann M.Martin 

Netflix Series - Director: Robert Luketic, Writer: Sascha Rothchild

Basic plot

When Mimi dies, Claudia finds it difficult to cope with her grief. With help from friends she starts being able to process and move on.

Things that are kept the same  

• Claudia and Mimi have special tea together.
• In their last conversation Mimi tells Claudia she says "don't want to confuse the muses" as Claudia is working on some art and "Good-bye, my Claudia".
• Claudia gets up to find her parents quietly talking and they appear to have been crying, they tell her Mimi died during the night.
• Claudia finds it hard to believe as she was just talking to her before that, her parents start making funeral arrangements.
• Claudia feels very numb and finds it hard to cry, she wants to pretend everything is normal including holding BSC meetings.
• Mary Anne who was close to Mimi is upset by the news as well.
• Claudia and BSC share stories about Mimi, such as a birthday family dinner ending up being pizza at dodgy place instead of Japanese restaurant and Mimi being an ambulance chaser only to discover it was going to a family member.
  
• Stacey's parents are not getting along so well at the moment.
  
• Claudia is upset when she finds Janine going through Mimi's jewellery box and confronts her about it.
• Mimi it seems had marked a lot of her things for people to have as she must have known her time was coming.
• Claudia reaches out to family and they start to move on with their grief more.
  

Things from other books 

• Nothing stood out as from other books.
  

Things that are changed 

• As the book is longer the show obviously had to focus more on some parts. In the book there are several chapters where Mimi's health declines she is in and out of hospital before she actually dies.
• There is also a side plot in the book where Claudia and Mary Anne are hosting an art class for some babysitting charges. One of them Corrie is constantly being picked up late and ignored by parents.Her and Claudia bond, and eventually Claudia confronts the mother and things appear to improve.
  
• On her last night Mimi calls Claudia from the hospital, she is supposed to come home the next day but dies at the hospital (rather than at home in the show).
• The show has more traditional Japanese funeral customs such as no visitors until after the funeral, in the book immediately people start coming over with food.
• Because no visitors are allowed, Claudia goes to stay with Stacey because she doesn't want to stay in the house without Mimi.
  
• Stacey is living in New York at this stage in the books but her and her mother come for the funeral.
• Kristy hosts the BSC meeting at her house in the show, Karen upsets Claudia by saying the ghost of Mimi visited her and is going to marry the ghost of her great-grandfather Ben Brewer.
• In the show while staying with Mary Anne, Claudia opens up about her grief and Mary Anne talks about her Mom dying and her Dad's grief.
• In the book Janine is going through jewellery box herself in the show Ashley Wyeth is with her and after the confrontation she tells Claudia Ashley is her girlfriend. In the books Janine was depicted as straight.
  
• In the book Claudia and BSC tell stories about Mimi at pizza party and it is midway trough the book so Claudia still has feelings to deal with. In the show it's more concluding part, she makes special tea for everyone and invites her parents, Janine and Ashley.
• In the book towards the end Claudia talks to her family about feeling mad at Mimi for "giving up" and at herself for making Mimi feel like a bother at times. She makes a collage about Mimi which they hang in her old room.
  

Final Thoughts 

This was one of the best BSC books (and the saddest) and the show did a really good job adapting it, including some direct quotes from the book. I feel Claudia has had some of the strongest episodes in this show, Mimi's death was very heartbreaking, and I thought the actress did a good job with it. I thought it was nice that Mimi was teaching Claudia to make special tea at the start. I did think Karen's story of ghost Mimi visiting her was a bit much,and very inappropriate, not that it would be out of character for her necessarily, but its odd that no-one tried more to stop her talking. It is also one of the things that also highlights how difficult another season would be, they already aged Karen up to 8 as mentioned in this episode. For the book I really liked the longer process Claudia took, like seeming fine and telling Mimi stories but then backsliding, the show had to compress that but I think they were both really good at showing young girl coping with death.

Dawn and the Wicked Stepsister

Book #31, Netflix S2 E6

Original Book -  Writer: Ann M.Martin 

Netflix Series - Director: Kimmy Gatewood, Writer: Ryan O'Connell

Basic plot

When the Spiers move in with the Schafers, Dawn is excited at first but soon finds that living Mary Anne isn't as easy as she thought it would be, especially when they share a room. Meanwhile the BSC come to the aid of the Pikes after a medical emergency.

Things that are kept the same  

• The Spiers move in with Schafers (it's only a temporary arrangement in Netflix series)
• Mary Anne and Dawn share a room, but soon they start to annoy each other.
• The families different eating and cleaning habits also cause clashes.
• Mary Anne is scared by the Secret Passage way in Dawn's room.
• Dawn tries to pretend she is okay with everything, saying its fine while thinking how much of a pain Mary Anne is (she is quite passive-aggressive at times)
• The girls start to snipe at each other during a BSC meeting. 
• After an accident at the Pike household, the BSC help out the Pikes.
• In the end Dawn and Mary Anne make up and the whole Schafer/Spier clan come to a better understanding of each other.
  

 

Things from other books 

• Dawn discovers there is a secret passage way in her room (Original Book 9)
• Mary Anne sets up some homemade burglar alarms in case of intruders (Original Book 2) 
• The story about setting up alarms is actually brought up in this book (31) as well, so its a good reference.
  
• Mallory's parents have some money issues (Original Book 39)
  

Things that are changed 

• There's a slight change to title as the original book is Dawn's Wicked Stepsister
  
• In the books the move is a permanent arrangement after Richard and Sharon marry.
• As Jeff only exists in the books, Dawn does call him to talk about her troubles.
• In the books Dawn discovered the secret passageway in book 9, here Sharon mentions it, and Dawn isn't as excited by it as in the books (at the end of the episode she even boards it up).
  
• While Mary Anne is scared of the passageway, she is actually the one to face it and explore it in the show, and Dawn is still nervous of it. In the book Dawn uses the passageway to scare Mary Anne to move into a room of her own.
• There is an instance of Mary Anne and Sharon bonding and Dawn feels jealous especially as they seem to make fun of Dawn.  This isn't the book though there is instance of each parent taking their step child's side in an argument.
• Dawn and Richard ave a nice talk at the end of episode, don't think we ever saw them bond much in the books which is a pity.
  
• While both subplots are about the Pikes, they are different. In the book the Pikes all come down with various illnesses and accidents (Mal gets chickenpox, Triplets pneumonia, Vanessa sprains her ankle etc.) and the BSC help out babysitting. In the show, Byron gets hurt and because of the medical expenses the Pikes can't afford to have a carnival party like Claire wanted for her birthday. The BSC volunteer themselves to put together the party.
• This does lead Mallory to feel like a charity case,and she feels uncomfortable with this, but it is resolved when the BSC reassure her that it is just friends looking out for each other.
  

Final Thoughts 

Surprising as the last episode really didn't follow book plot, and it is a 2-parter, that this episode had a lot similar with the book. This was also an episode I found even if it wasn't a direct reference to something in the book it did feel like it could have been in it, such as the BSC throwing a big carnival party for their client, Mallory's insecurity about being charity, and Dawn being jealous over Sharon and Mary Anne bonding. In some instances I did think it came from the book, like Mary Anne and Sharon in the kitchen and I thought the Mallory plot was taken more from "Poor Mallory" book,  but on re-read there is no direct reference. Maybe such things come up in another book that I haven't re-read in a while or else it's just so keeping in character it felt like it was from the source material. This was a favourite episode of mine, and on 2nd watch through the new Dawn actress grew on me, she did a good job here. I am sad to find out we won't get one more season to wrap things up but glad we got the 2 seasons at least. Still 2 more episodes to look at, and after that will be back to look at some graphix comparisons.

Mary Anne and the Great Romance

 

Book #30, Netflix S2 E5

Original Book -  Writer: Ann M.Martin 

Netflix Series - Director: Kimmy Gatewood, Writers: Dan Robert & Lisha Brooks

Basic plot

This is another instance where the show and book are so different it's easier to give brief synopsis of both separately.

Book: Mary Anne and Dawn are excited when their parents tell them they are getting married, they think it's going to be a big wedding but aren't too disappointed when Richard and Sharon want to have a small one. Meanwhile the BSC are dealing with the Arnold twins not getting along, of course they are able to come up with a solution to help everyone.

Netflix: Mary Anne and Dawn are happy their parents relationship seems to be strong and they hope they expect them to get engaged soon. Mary Anne on the other hand is finding being in a couple with Logan not as great as she thought it would be. Meanwhile Kristy's mum is trying to handle hormones treatments which leads to Karen scaring everyone with ghost stories of a crying lady.

Things that are kept the same 

• The Spiers and Schafers go out for fancy dinner.
• There are engagement discussions (just hopeful discussions between Mary Anne & Dawn in TV show)
• The Spiers are to move in with the Schafers, setting up the next book/episode (in tv show it is only going to be a temporary thing)
• Richard and Mary Anne have a nice heart-to-heart talk.
  

Things from other books 

• There is general Mary Anne and Logan relationship stuff from different books.
• Logan asks Mary Anne to be his girlfriend and gives her bracelet as a gift (Original Book 10)
• It is Valentine's day and Logan books a table at a fancy restaurant (Original Book 41)
  
• Mary Anne decides she doesn't want Logan to be boyfriend anymore, she is tired of being in a couple and not been thought of as an individual person (Original Book BSC: Friends Forever 3).
• Mary Anne and Logan also take a break in Book #41, I think the break-up has more in common with the Friends Forever book, but this earlier book does highlight some problems that continue and are reason for break-up in the later series. 

Things that are changed 

• Obviously the big thing is Richard and Sharon don't get engaged and have a wedding, but also the girls were surprised at the announcement in the book, in the Netflix series they keep expecting them to announce their engagement.
• The bigger plot is Logan and Mary Anne's relationship, in the book at this stage they've been dating a long time and he is just in background. Here they officially start dating and then decide to be just friends at the end.
• Mary Anne is upset that her friends presume she will walk to meeting with Logan instead of them and is disappointed to miss out on their galentines plans.
  
• Unlike the books where they date, Mary Anne and Logan feel awkward and have an amicable break-up agreeing they are better as friends who like each other.
• The Sub-plot of Arnolds not getting along is dropped but we do get another babysitting plot where Karen Brewer creeps out her sitters while doing family tree project and talking about ghosts, in particular the crying lady (seems in character for her book character).
• Also an addition is Liz Thomas being hormonal, as she has been on treatments to help her get pregnant. Kristy finds out Liz is the crying lady "ghost" but they decide not to tell Karen and disappoint her.
• Dawn is not heterosexual, she mentions she doesn't care for labels and would date anyone on the gender spectrum.
  

Final Thoughts

Really different from the original book, but I still liked it. Unlike Stacey's Emergency it shows if you have the characters right then it can still be satisfying watch even without following one book directly. I do love Spier/Schafer interactions on the show, which is why this and the next episodes are some of my favourites. Richard and Mary Anne's talks were very sweet. I also liked that Mary Anne and Logan decided they were better off as being good friends, in the books a lot of time they came off as too serious and acting older then 13 year olds should be in a relationship.