#77: Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever
So there are a few things going on in this book:
Dawn’s dad is getting back into the dating scene after breaking off his engagement to Carol, and he’s going out with one dud after another. If the initial date goes well, he brings Dawn and Jeff on a “family date” with the woman. They endure a trying-too-hard carnival date with Clarice, who points out that Dawn is wearing an ill-fitting bra; a fish fry date with snobby and uptight Barbara; an outdoor concert and picnic with Karina, who acts repulsed and embarrassed by Whitney and is totally rude and cruel to her; and an Anaheim Angels game with the mother of one of Dawn’s classmates - who Dawn does not get along with. Dawn and Jeff realize that they had it so good when their dad was with Carol, and they decide to try to get them back together.
Back in Stoneybrook, Mrs. Barrett and Franklin DeWitt get engaged, and Buddy, Suzi, and Marnie react poorly but eventually all seven kids get over it and start to get excited.
Dawn has been hired as a regular sitter/companion for Whitney, a girl with Down’s Syndrome. It’s a good job for Dawn; the only catch is that Whitney’s parents are telling her that Dawn is a new friend, not a baby-sitter. (When the call comes in, the We <3 Kids Club members reference Corky from “Life Goes On,” who is probably also the first character I ever saw with Down’s Syndrome.) Dawn is uncomfortable lying to Whitney, but her parents think it would hurt her pride if she knew Dawn was a baby-sitter since they are so close in age.
Dawn really likes Whitney; she’s nice and funny and fun. She’s twelve and definitely wants her parents to see her as more grown-up (she wants pierced ears, for example, and to get a job). She has a crush on Keanu Reeves. She loves to swim and she’s good at it. She’s also really good with Clover and Daffodil, two of the girls Sunny and Dawn baby-sit for as part of the WLKC. Whitney really likes Dawn, too, and gives her a Best Friends necklace.
The jig is up eventually, though; Dawn accidentally lets it slip that she is Whitney’s baby-sitter. Whitney is hurt and furious and demands her Best Friends necklace back. She stops speaking to Dawn (even though Dawn still shows up every day) and continues trying to demonstrate that she’s not a baby and that she can do grown-up things. Things come to a head when Whitney whisks Clover and Daffodil away from their house while Dawn is baby-sitting them (without telling Dawn) and takes them to a nearby carnival. Even though Whitney is very responsible while taking care of the girls, Dawn had already called in a search party and was panicking. She has a talk with Whitney, and then the We <3 Kids Club decides to ask Whitney to join as an Honorary Member and Special Helper. Whitney is psyched. She even gives Dawn back her Best Friends necklace.
Oh, and one more thing: Dawn’s dad and Carol get back together and re-engaged, which means there will be another wedding (A CALIFORNIA SUPER SPECIAL, hell yeah) and that makes me very happy.
