Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 123

I didn't see Josh all day. After school I hung around my locker, waiting for him to show up. My backpack was loaded and I'd slung it over my shoulder when he appeared.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

Josh was holding one of the certificates, and the red ribbon was hanging around his neck, but he wasn't smiling.

"What's up?" I asked, my smile fading.

"Exactly how do I redeem this certificate?" "For when?" "This afternoon?" Josh asked, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

I cleared my throat.

"If you can't -" Josh began.

"Excuse me, sir, but I would be happy to redeem this certificate for an afternoon of Claudia time. That will involve a short trip to Donut Express followed by a delicious serving of the doughnut of your choice and my uninterrupted attention to whatever fascinating topics you care to discuss." I'd been spending too much time with Janine. That speech had sounded exactly like something she would say.

"Cool," Josh said, finally smiling. "Could I carry a few of those books?" He pointed at my stuffed backpack.

"Oh, no, sir! I would be pleased to carry anything of your choice." I tugged on the strap of his bag.

"Come on, Claudia," Josh said, laughing. "You're weighed down now. I'll carry my own stuff." "If you insist." I curtsied.

Josh grabbed my hand and we headed for Donut Express.

We ordered, then found a table in the corner. Josh told me about the report Joanna had given in English class, and I told him how long it had taken to clean up the house after the party. I also thanked him for the vase, and told him how it makes me happy every time I see it.

Things were starting to feel right between us again.

"Claudia!" Kristy and Mary Anne rushed over to our table.

I glanced at Josh. He was watching me, waiting to see what I would do. "Hi, guys," I said. "Don't worry. I'll be on time for the BSC meeting." I looked at Josh, then at the door.

"Sure, we'll see you then," Kristy said, backing away with a puzzled look on her face.

"Hey, Mary Anne, I talked to Logan this morning. We might go bowling together this weekend. He's going to be surprised when he finds out that I'm as good as I said I was," Josh said.

"Logan is pretty good too," Mary Anne replied.

"You and Claudia will have to come along and be our cheerleaders." Josh looked at me.

"Sure. Sounds like fun," I agreed.

"I like to bowl," Kristy put in.

"Maybe we can make a . . ." Josh looked at me, grinning, "party of it." I groaned. "So long as it's not at my house!" "I'll check with Stacey, Jessi, Mal, and Abby, if you'll check with Joanna, Shira, and Jeannie," said Kristy.

"You might try to find some time to practice. They call me 'Josh two hundred' around the bowling alleys. I have my own ball. And it has a name." "You've bowled two hundred?" Mary Anne asked, her eyes growing wide.

"No, but I think by now my total score is at two hundred," Josh said.

We laughed.

Shira waved to us through the window, and Kristy motioned for her to come inside.

"Want to go bowling this weekend?" Josh asked her.

As I watched and listened, I realized that the BSC and my seventh-grade friends would probably never be one big group, but right now they were fitting together pretty well.

Kristy leaned on the back of my chair, her arm resting on my shoulder. Shira knelt on the floor between Josh and me. Mary Anne pulled a chair up to the table and in the tight quarters our knees touched. I reached out and put my hand over Josh's, making the circle complete.

Dear Reader, In Claudia's Big Party, Claudia and Janine are left on their own for a weekend, and Claudia finds that her relationship with her sister is changing. Claudia and Janine have never been close, but now Claudia sees that her sister would like to be her friend too. When I was growing up, I was the big sister like Janine, and Jane was my little sister, like Claudia. We were just two years apart, but for a long time we weren't very close. We had different friends and very different interests. I excelled in school, and my sister excelled in sports and was involved in lots of activities. It was not until we had grown up and each moved to New York City that we became friends and spent a lot of time together. Now my sister is not just my sister, but a mother too, and I have a brand-new nephew Henry, named after our father. Relationships constantly change - so who knows ... maybe one day Claudia and Janine will be best friends too! Happy Reading, Ann M. Martin.

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 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 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 with her cats, Gussie, Woody, and Willy. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework - especially making clothes for children.

Table of Contents

BSC123 - Claudia's Big Party

About this Title

This eBook was created using ReaderWorks™Publisher, produced by OverDrive, Inc.

For more information on ReaderWorks, visit us on the Web at "www.readerworks.com"