Club-Read: The Baby-Sitters Club #27: Jessi and the Superbrat

We haven't really gotten much in terms of the popular culture in the BSC universe. More often than not, it's media that exists within the real world. A whole slew of Meatballs and Disneyworld references. So now we get a brief window of that as Jessi has to deal with a pompous child star. Does that make for a good book, or would we be better off changing the channel? Let's see with Jessi and the Superbrat.

Technically, we have two covers to talk about, but given that the cover got a slight update in the 90s reprint and eBook, it's still fair game. The original cover is solid. Both covers showing Jessi's frustrations when it comes to dealing with Derek Masters, who doesn't seem to be getting along with the Pike triplets in a game of tennis. The 2023 reprint does a better job in my opinion, giving Jessi a more fed up in a silly way face while setting up that Derek is definitely a Hollywood kid. I think the reprint also sells the gimmick better that Derek is a TV star, while in the original he could be any kid and it's the tagline that does the heavy lifting. See? I don't always knock the reprint covers. 

The book opens with Jessi's sister Becca calling the entire family to watch TV. Namely a sitcom called P.S. 162, which is features a school filled with a bunch of wacky characters. There's Lamont, the cool kid, and Waldo, the kid with spiky hair, thick glasses and is a science wiz. So this is Saved by the Bell. I mean Waldo is clearly Screech. Slightly closer to the Miss Bliss season I guess? Becca then tells Mallory that Waldo is moving to Stoneybrook. Mallory confirms that the actor, Derek Masters, is moving to Stoneybrook from LA for a few months before returning to continue filming P.S. 162. In fact, Derek's family lived in Stoneybrook and Derek was in Nicky Pike's class. However, he got huge by being a commercial model which soon landed him the role of Waldo. Jessi's starstruck and wonders what it'll be like to meet a real TV star. And she gets just that as at the club meeting, Mrs. Masters calls in, asking for a sitter for Derek and his brother Todd. And Jessi just so happens to be free to do so. This totally won't got south quick I'm certain.

At ballet class, Jessi learns from her teacher Mme Noelle that there will be auditions for Swan Lake at the Stoneybrook Civic Center. Jessi is a bit worried about auditioning, thinking she's not that great, but Mme Noelle encourages her to do so. Downside is there'll be dancers from New York going for the tryouts, which has her concerned, but she'll still go through with it, possible blow to the self esteem be damned. She babysits for Derek and Todd with Derek mostly not wanting to talk about acting and being more excited to be back in Stoneybrook and hopefully not being treated like a big celebrity. He also says that he'll give Jessi pointers in how to audition. The next day, she brings Becca over and the kids head to the Pikes which give us the scene from the original cover with the Pike triplets giving him a hard time. This causes Derek to snap at them and ask to leave. So yeah, that whole "I'll fit right back in" stuff's not going too good.

On Monday, Jessi sits for Derek and Todd again. Derek gets home from school and isn't happy. Mainly because everyone wouldn't leave him alone on account of him being a big celebrity. He gets mocked for having to wear makeup by the other boys because 1989 book, and feels like everyone treats him like a spoiled brat. The only one who didn't give him grief was Nicky Pike. One kid in particular, John, threw Derek's food out the window and tied his shoelaces together, which I get is a thing, but how would you not notice someone doing that? Jessi dubs John a superbrat for everything he's done to Derek. We also get a quick chapter of Karen and her friends playing actresses and Hollywood people as they have high hopes of being celebrities, because a prerequisite of these books is that most of the side-babysitting stuff has to connect to the plot. This one's less egregious given this is a book about a celebrity in town. 

Jessi goes to the auditions and gets a callback, which is good news. The bad news is that Derek threw his food at John, so if he thought that would quell the issue well that's not happening. Claudia babysits Derek and manages to help him break the ice with some of the other kids in school, which helps his self esteem, but he still has John to deal with, so that's far from settled. After Jessi gets another callback for one more audition, Derek tells her that he's going back to LA for a TV movie, but thinks that she should come too as she'd be a fine commercial actor or model, which makes Jessi really consider it. After the club meeting where the girls suggest giving Derek a going away party at breakfast, given it's the only time they have to throw such a party, Jessi talks with her parents about trying to get into acting and modeling, so long as it's still just in Connecticut. She talks with Derek about how to get into a modeling gig in Stoneybrook, then talks with Mallory about the party. All the kids in his class are invited, but there's no kid in his class named John. 

They hold the breakfast party and it all goes very well. Then we get to the final audition for Jessi, which actually isn't the end of this as they all have to wait a few days for the answer. She eventually gets to be part of the performance, which gets all of the acting and modeling stuff out of her head for good, as her dad notes that sometimes wanting something so badly makes people play tricks on themselves, thinking some things don't matter as much. She talks with Derek who is a day from leaving, and he admits that he was John the superbrat. All the kids were mean to him so he started acting mean in return, thinking it would make people like him, but he learned his lesson and by the end is better off with how things went since. They say goodbye with Derek giving her a note saying he'll be her friend forever. Aw that's nice.

This book was okay, but not exactly anything incredible either. As filler as it gets. And, I guess given the main kid in this is a sitcom star, this feels very much like a sitcom plot. It's also a book that feels super fast paced, really never having much time for anything to really sink in. The Swan Lake stuff does at least work in terms of giving Jessi something to do in the story that isn't just sitting for Derek and Todd. Derek's a fun addition as well. Given the title you'd think this whole book would be about some diva Hollywood kid, but in the end it's a rather well adjusted kid who only really started acting out "off-camera" (best way to put it I guess) and not so much in the story, save for the scene with the Pike triplets. He has a good dynamic with Jessi and it's cute stuff that does work for the story. Derek does appear a few more times, so while this is a filler book, this isn't a one-off appearance which I guess works in its favor. 

Jessi's dilemma of the book feels rushed, but I think that's by design. Her dilemma of wanting to be an actress only really comes out of her anxiety over the auditions for Swan Lake, and goes away when she gets the part. But that doesn't mean it makes for the most entertaining read since it comes and goes at such a pace that it really leaves no impact or makes for any real interesting conflict. And that's really the book in a nutshell. A book that should have conflict, but so much of it either is rushed or doesn't matter that much to the story that none of it really lands. And that's a shame, as I've enjoyed Jessi's books so far. This just ultimately falls into the most "eh, I guess"-feeling book I've covered so far in the series. Far from a bad book, just one I probably won't think much of after this blog. That's showbiz, I guess. Jessi and the Superbrat gets a B-. 

Next time, everyone's favorite diabetic is finally back in Stoneybrook. I sure hope nothing happened with her parents' relationship to lead to that...

Cheez Doodles

Tastee Cakes

M&Ms

Swan Lake

A Chorus Line

Coppelia

Cheerios