#89: Kristy and the Dirty Diapers
Right off the bat, we have a classic Baby-sitters Club Coincidence happening in this book. Now that Dawn’s defected back to the We <3 Kids Club and Shannon’s joined the Astronomy Club (???), the BSC is swamped and definitely needs a new full-time member. Also, whodathunkit, two twelve-year-old twins are moving in near Kristy. I wonder… gasp… if one of them is a baby-sitter??? (YES I CAN’T WAIT TO HAVE ABBY IN THE MIX; I TRULY LOVE HER AND HER ALLERGIES.)
Kristy’s Krushers remain a rag-tag group of softball non-elites, but they have fun. At the first game of their five-game World Series against Bart’s Bashers, Mr. Davis of Davis Diapers makes Kristy an offer: he’ll get the Krushers new equipment and uniforms if they’ll agree to be sponsored by Davis Diapers. Kristy wants the kids to feel legit, so she says yes even though she doesn’t want the Krushers to lose their fun-and-freewheeling vibe. Claudia is concerned about potentially hideous new uniforms.
“I mean, what if they’re ugly? Or orange or something. You don’t want the kids to be traumatized.” - Claudia, page 48
In the meantime, the Stevenson sisters, Anna and Abby, move in two house down from Kristy. Kristy immediately takes a liking to Anna (she’s polite, talented, and asks Kristy lots of questions about herself) and a bit of a disliking to Abby (she thinks Abby’s an attention-hog — projecting much, K.A.T.?). She decides to keep an eye on the sus twin, who — I’m just saying — seems pretty good with kids. Oh, and she’s a stellar athlete, so Kristy is immediately jealous but shrugs it off by perceiving Abby as a show-off. TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE. To be fair, Kristy is also jealous because her little brother and some of her other softball kids think Abby is hilarious and like having silly softball practices with her.
Anyway, isn’t this book supposed to be about diapers? Oh, yeah. Kristy receives the big box of new Krusher uniforms from Davis Diapers, which… don’t say Krushers (or Kristy) on them anywhere, but do say Diapers and have a diaper logo. Kristy’s ego and David Michael’s pride can’t handle it. THE KRUSHERS HAVE GONE CORPORATE and they immediately get soggy like a dirty diaper. Kristy regrets selling out because Mr. Davis starts showing up at practices and games, backseat coaching, and getting pissed when the Krushers don’t want to wear their uniforms, and when they lose. (He should probably get a life, amirite?)
Kristy eventually gives in and lets Abby help her coach a Krushers practice and realizes that, even though she’s a bit silly, she’s good and the kids respond to her. They do not respond to Mr. Davis and his criticism and “coaching”; in fact, they totally deflate and play worse than ever. And who comes to the rescue? ABBY. She tells Mr. Davis right off in a way that even Kristy wouldn’t dare to and Kristy has no choice but to stan. She also has no choice but to tell Mr. Davis to take his equipment and uniforms back and shove ‘em. The Krushers are the Krushers again. And they win the World Series against the Bashers.
Kristy has finally come to her senses and realized the BSC should invite Abby and Anna to join — Anna says no (she’ll be too busy with school and music), but Abby says yes and erases everyone’s memories of Dawn forever! JK, but also not JK.
