Review: Karen's New Year by Ann M Martin (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #14)

New Year's resolutions, spying and punishments that fit the crime are at the heart of the fourteenth Baby-Sitters Little Sister series. It is almost New Year's Eve and Karen is gigundo excited that she and Andrew will be spending the holiday at the Big House and that the Brewer-Thomas household will be having a party. When the family start making New Year's resolutions Karen ends up going a little bit over the top. First, she makes an entire list of resolutions. Then she vows to make sure that her family and friends keep up with their resolutions by keeping a secret notebook where she jots down every infraction. Unsurprisingly, this does not end well, especially when her family and friends decide to get their revenge...

This was a funny, short read. Karen is delightfully dramatic and obsessive at every turn and manages to do all of the wrong things and eventually learns a huge lesson. I think the great thing about the character is the way that Ann M Martin managed to create a kid that the reader can laugh at, yet cheer for at the same time. We want her to learn her lesson and yet ... we want to see things turn out right for her in the end. For me this was a fun nostalgia trip, and it is always surprising to see just how well written these books are.

Recommended.

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