Ann Martin - Mary Anne's Book

"Dad wondered if I wanted you to read my autobiography and I said yes, when you come home for Christmas. Then the phone rang and it's you."

"Mary Anne, this is so creepy," Dawn said. "I mean major creepy. Do you know why I called you?"

"Why?" I asked tentatively. I didn't know if I was going to like the answer. Dawn's voice had dropped to the solemn tone she uses when she talks about ghosts, ESP, and other beyond-the-natural phenomena.

"I called to ask you if you wanted to read my autobiography," she said.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "What a coincidence!"

"It's not a coincidence, Mary Anne. Don't

you see? We read one another's minds. It's

ESP."

I didn't have time to debate the question of whether Dawn and I could read one another's minds across three thousand miles. I had to leave for my baby-sitting job. "I've got to go," I said. "I'm sitting for the Rodowskys."

"So, do you want to?"

"Sure," I said. "Do you?"

"I can't wait."

I smiled. I just love the way Dawn and I don't have to complete ideas to understand one another. We both knew we were talking

about our autobiographies without having to say it. It's pretty neat having a stepsister, even if she is three thousand miles away.

- At the end of English class on Monday everyone else turned in their autobiographies, and Ms. Belcher gave me back mine. "Since you turned it in early, Mary Anne, I thought I'd return the favor." She smiled. "It's such a huge assignment for me to correct, I was glad to have this one early. Thanks."

"Thank you," I said.

The second I was out of the room I leaned against the wall and turned to the back page to see my grade.

About the Author

ANN MATTHEWS MARTIN was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, N.J., with her parents and her younger sister, Jane.

Although Ann used to be a teacher and then an editor of children's books, she's now a full-time writer. She gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences. Others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events.

All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. (So is Stoneybrook.) But many of her characters are based on

real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, other times she chooses names she likes.

In addition to the Baby-sitters Club series, Ann Martin has written many other books for children. Her favorite is Ten Kids, No Pets because she loves big families and she loves animals., er favorite Baby-sitters Club book is Kristy's Big Day. (By the way, Kristy is her favorite baby-sitter!)

Ann M. Martin now lives -in New York with her cats, Gussie and Woody. Her hobbies are reading,

sewing, and needlework - especially making

clothes for children.