Ann Martin - Mary Anne Saves The Day

"An emergency?" said Dawn. "Well. ..."

"She was terrific when Jenny Prezzioso was sick," I interrupted. I had told the others about our hospital adventure.

Kristy nodded.

"And once," added Dawn, "there was a fire in a house when I sitting. It was a problem with the wiring. I got the kids outdoors and called the fire department."

"Wow," exclaimed Claudia, looking impressed. "Then what happened?"

"The firemen came really fast and put the fire out. The kitchen was all wet and smoky

and black, but none of the other rooms were hurt."

"That was a pretty good emergency," said Stacey, looking hopefully at Kristy.

I smiled at Stacey, saying a silent thank you.

Kristy wasn't finished, though. "Have you ever taken care of a baby? I mean, a real baby — a newborn?"

Dawn paused. "No, not a newborn," she said slowly. "I think the youngest baby was Georgie Klein. He was about seven months."

"How late can you stay out?" (That was Kristy's favorite question.)

"Gosh, I'm not sure," said Dawn. "I'd have to check with my mother. Maybe ten o'clock? I don't know about school nights, though. It's been a while since I baby-sat for anyone besides my brother. The last kid I took care of was in California, since I don't know many people here. Mom's probably changed the rules since we moved."

Kristy looked satisfied.

"How come you moved, Dawn?" asked Stacey. "Did your father get transferred?"

Dawn glanced at me, then lowered her eyes. "Divorce," she replied.

"Your parents got divorced?" said Kristy. She sounded sympathetic. "Boy, I know all

about that. Mine are divorced, too. It stinks."

"And I know all about moving," said Stacey. "My parents and I moved here from New York last summer. That wasn't so great at first, but it's a lot better now."

"Yeah, that's because she met all these wonderful friends!" Claudia waved her hand around the room, indicating the club members.

"And now Dawn's meeting us," I said pointedly. I looked at Kristy and raised my eyebrows.

She smiled at me. "We sure have a lot of clients now, more than we know what to do with. We could use some help." She turned to Claudia and Stacey, who nodded their heads ever so slightly.

"Mary Anne?" said Kristy. "Do you want to say it?"

I grinned. "Sure. Dawn Schafer, would you like to join the Baby-sitters Club?"

The smile that spread across Dawn's face was one of the brightest I'd ever seen. "Really?" she cried. "I mean, yes! Yes, I want to join. More than anything! Thanks, you guys."

I jumped up. "Well," I said, "the pizza's warming up and I'm hungry. I think the Babysitters Club should go pig out."

Kristy, Stacey, Claudia, Dawn, and I thundered down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Kristy and Claudia attacked the pizza with our pizza cutter.

"Dad?" I called. "We're going to eat now!"

My father came into the kitchen. He looked as if he were moving underwater. Dawn and I glanced at each other. We both knew what my dad was thinking about, and we absolutely could not wait until Sunday morning to find out about our parents' date.

I was glad I had the Baby-sitters Club — the five-member Baby-sitters Club — to help keep my mind off of Saturday night.

I took a piece of pizza and held it in the air. "Pizza toast!" I cried. Kristy, Claudia, and Dawn raised their pizza, too, and Stacey raised her hamburger. (Dad didn't know what was going on.)

"To our new member," I said.

"To our new member," said Kristy, Stacey, and Claudia.

"To me!" cried Dawn. "Thanks for letting me join the Baby-sitters Club."

Dear Reader,

In Mary Anne Saves the Day, the members of the Baby-sitters Club face their first real emergency. When Mary Anne realizes that Jenny is running a very high fever, she calls 911. If you're a baby-sitter, or planning to be one, it's important to find out whether you can call 911 for help in your community. If you can't, you should find out what numbers to call to reach the police, or in case of a medical emergency, or fire. Remember, in any emergency, try to stay calm and don't be afraid to ask for help.

When you're baby-sitting, you'll always feel better if you're prepared. A great way to get prepared is to take a course in baby-sitting. Check in your town to see if any are offered by your hospital, YMCA, or Red Cross. Ask your school nurse or teacher for information. If you want to read about baby-sitting or find out how to handle baby-sitting emergencies, look in your local bookstore or library for The Babysitters Club Guide to Baby-sitting.

Happy reading!

YH.

^'^^

About the Author

ANN MATTHEWS MARTIN was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, NJ, 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 Stoney-brook.) 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 books, 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. Her 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. She has two cats, Mouse and Rosie (who's a boy, but that's a long story). Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework — especially making clothes for children.