Jessi knows a secret language! She learned it from Matt Braddock, the Baby-sitters' newest charge. Matt's been deaf since birth, and he uses sign language, too.
Soon all the kids in Stoneybrook want to learn to sign... which keeps the Baby-sitters busy. Jessi's the busiest of all: she's working on another super secret, just for Matt. Will Jessi be able to keep the secret and pull off her special event? Of course she will - she's a member of the Baby-sitters Club!Our first Jessi book! It's really hard to tell the "main plot" from the "B-plot" in this one, because both are given pretty equal weight and eventually become intertwined, but I'll start with the plot as described on the back of the book: the Braddocks. They've just moved to Stoneybrook and are looking for a regular sitter two afternoons a week. Various members can't do it, so it falls on Jessi to take the job. There's just one catch: Matt Braddock is deaf and speaks in Ameslan, or American Sign Language.
Luckily, Jessi is great at picking up languages. She goes to the Braddocks where she meets Mrs Braddock, Matt and his older sister Haley. Over the course of the book, Jessi learns more about ASL, and what it's like for Matt to be deaf. For instance, it's hard for the kids to make friends, when Matt can really only communicate with Haley. At first, the other neighbourhood kids are frightened of Matt, because he can't talk, and whatever sounds he does make are jarring (since he's never heard them before). Haley has to go everywhere and translate for Matt constantly. With Mallory's help though, Jessi explains to the other kids that Matt knows a secret, silent language. That gets them all interested, and soon everyone is learning bits of sign language. Matt makes friends, and Haley realizes that she doesn't have to worry about him quite so much.
The subplot in this one is that Jessi's ballet school is putting on a performance of Coppélia. It's the first production they've done since Jessi moved, and she's quite nervous. She's the youngest in one of the advance classes, and the next two youngest girls haven't been treating her so well. Despite all this, she gets the lead role! She's very excited. One day after rehearsal while waiting for her dad to pick her up, she starts talking to one of the girls, Katie Beth. Katie Beth is there with her sister, and Jessi is surprised when she sees the girl ask for the bathroom using ASL. Even more shocking, when the girl is gone, Jessi learns that Katie Beth doesn't know any sign language at all! Neither do their parents. They send Adele away to live at a boarding school for most of the year. Jessi then realizes how lucky Matt is that his whole family learned ASL and that they try to include him as much as possible.
Eventually Jessi realizes that Matt's never been to a live theatre performance. With some help from Mrs Braddock and Mme Noelle (her ballet teacher), Jessi organizes a special performance on opening night for Matt and his 7 classmates. Instead of just simply performing the ballet and letting the music and dance speak for itself, Haley and Mrs Braddock briefly summarize each act before its performance, speaking and signing for the entire audience. Katie Beth's sister also attends, and Katie Beth tells Jessi that she's going to make an effort to learn some ASL and connect with her sister. Jessi performs well, and earns the respect of her classmates.
Random Thoughts:
- We have our first ghostwriter. I think. Or maybe because of all the sign language involved, AMM just had extra special help with the book. Either way, she would like to thank Patsy Jensen.
- My copy still says that "Jessica Ramsey" is one of six experienced baby-sitters
- This back when Jessi was more three dimensional. She doesn't want to be a professional ballerina (she just really enjoys ballet and dance), she loves jokes and she's great at learning languages. Let's just see how long these traits last haha
- Mallory's hair colour isn't described in this book. It's just mentioned as being curly. So is she brunette? Ginger? Time will tell!
- I love the fact that when Dawn tells the girls that she read that anyone who can touch their tongue to their nose would eventually be very well-endowed, Kristy was the only one who could do it, and she was THRILLED haha
- I also love that Haley is portrayed realistically. She's not this selfless saint who is more than happy to be her brother's keeper: she's a 9 year old girl. While she loves her brother, she can't help but wish he were "normal" at times.
- I find it interesting that Jessi planned her special ballet performance all in secret. It makes me like her more, because she's independent. While she obviously doesn't want to step on the toes of the older girls, she's not actively seeking their approval or permission either. She has an opportunity to do something outside of the club, and she goes for it.
- I know siblings don't necessarily have to look alike, or even remotely similar at all, but I was always confused as a child by Matt and Haley Braddock. Matt always looks vaguely Hispanic on the covers to me, while Haley is always described/drawn as being epically white, to the point where people often confuse her and Jeff Schafer on the covers.
- There is no reason at all to have Claudia baby-sit for Karen (and Andrew, and David Michael), other than to torture readers with more Karen crap. Seriously. She could have baby-sat for anyone else.
- We never find out what exactly Becca and Charlotte are planning when Kristy baby-sits for them. They go down to Jessi's dance room, giggle, and tell Kristy it's a secret. But then nothing happens.
- Adele, Katie Beth's sister, goes to a boarding school in Massachusetts. Eventually Mallory goes to a boarding school in Massachusetts as well. It's probably not the same school. Is Massachusetts just full of boarding schools? And Connecticut has none??
- I am really surprised that Katie Beth never bothered to learn ASL. Or her parents. Like, how rude and callous can they be? I can understand them not being fluent in it, because Adele isn't often at home, but not to learn it at all?? What do they do when she is at home?? I don't know why they sent her to a boarding school. Maybe they're giant jerks and want her out of the way and don't want to have to deal with someone "special". Or maybe they thought the school could provide for Adele's needs so much more than they could, and they sent her away to give her her best chance. But not learning at all? Yeah, that's pretty jerky of them.
- I think I would enjoy ballet more if it was done the way they did it for the special performance. Even though I always read up on the story ahead of time, and there's always a description in the programme, I would love for someone to summarize each act right before it was performed, just to refresh my memory.
- I always wonder what happens to these "regular jobs". I mean, sometimes they write in the book that it's ended, or that it was only for a short period of time. But others, nothing gets mentioned. We just know that Jessi is regularly sitting for the Braddocks now. And then at some point (probably by the next book), she won't be. I'd be interested in seeing some sort of continuity, where (in the next book at least), it's all, "Sorry, I'm unavailable at that time because of [regular sitting job set up last book]."
- Fun fact: I learned some basic ASL for fun when I was in grade 5. I still remember most of the words I learned, but especially the alphabet. I love it. I hope to one day take a formal class and learn even more.
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